BENJAMIN   PARKE  AVERY. 


(ilf-T  of    MRS.    AVERT. 

Accessions  No.  103*730      Class  No. 


THE 


LAND    OF    THOR. 


J.   ROSS    BROWNE, 

AUTHOR   OF 

"YUSEF,""  CRUSOE'S  ISLAND,"  "AN  AMERICAN  FAMILY  IN 
GERMANY,"  ETC. 


EUustrateti  bg  tfje  Stumor. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN      SQUARE. 

1867. 


\c>  * 

v 


BY   J.  ROSS    BROWNE. 

AN  AMERICAN  FAMILY  IN  GERMANY.  Illustrated  by  the 
Author.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  Illustrated  by  the  Author.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $2  00. 

CRUSOE'S  ISLAND :  A  Ramble  in  the  Footsteps  of  Alexander 
Selkirk.  With  Sketches  of  Adventure  in  California  and  Washoe. 
Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

YUSEF ;  or,  The  Journey  of  th,e  Frangi.  A  Crusade  in  the  East. 
With  Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-seven,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of 
the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    IMPRESSIONS   OF   ST.  PETERSBURG 9 

II.    A   PLEASANT   EXCURSION 25 

III.  VIEWS   ON   THE    MOSCOW   RAILWAY 39 

IV.  MOSCOW 52 

V.    TEA-DRINKING GO 

VI.    THE   PETERSKOI   GARDENS 65 

vii.  THE  "LITTLE  WATER" 73 

VIII.    THE   MARKETS    OF   MOSCOW 77 

IX.    THE   NOSE    REGIMENT 88 

x.  THE  EMPEROR'S  BEAR-HUNT 92 

XI.    RUSSIAN   HUMOR 97 

XII.    A   MYSTERIOUS   ADVENTURE 104 

XIII.  THE   DENOUEMENT1 125 

XIV.  THE   KREMLIN 134 

XV.    RUSSIAN   MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS 155 

xvi.  DESPOTISM  versus  SERFDOM 165 

XVII.   REFORM  IN    RUSSIA , 170 

XVIII.    A  BOND   OF    SYMPATHY 185 

XIX.    CIVILIZATION   IN   RUSSIA 193 

XX.    PASSAGE    TO   REVEL 209 

XXI.   REVEL  AND   HELSINGFORS 218 

XXII.    A   BATHING    SCENE 227 

XXIII.    ABO — FINLAND 236 

XXIV.    STOCKHOLM 248 

XXV.    WALKS    ABOUT    STOCKHOLM 262 

XXVI.    THE   GOTHA   CANAL 272 

XXVII.    VOYAGE   TO   CHRISTIANIA 291 

XXVIII.    FROM    CHRISTIANIA   TO    LILLEHAMMER 302 

XXIX.    HOW   THEY  TRAVEL   IN   NORWAY 310 

XXX.    A   NORWEGIAN   GIRL 317 

XXXI.    HOW   THEY   LIVE 335 

XXXII.    JOHN   BULL   ABROAD 354 

XXXIII.  WOMEN   IN   NORWAY   AND    GERMANY 361 

XXXIV.  DOWN   THE   DRIVSDAL 368 

XXXV.    A  NORWEGIAN   HORSE-JOCKEY ..    372 


iv  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXXVI.    OUT   OF   MONEY 381 

XXXVII.    ICELANDIC    TRAVEL 383 

XXXVIII.    HANS    CHRISTIAN   ANDERSEN 387 

XXXIX.    VOYAGE   TO    SCOTLAND 398 

XL.    THE    JOLLY   BLOODS 404 

XLI.    THE    FAROE    ISLANDS 408 

XLII.    FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF   ICELAND 42G 

XLIII.    REYKJAVIK,   THE    CAPITAL    OF    ICELAND 431 

XLIV.    GEIR    ZOEGA 440 

XLV.    THE   ENGLISH   TOURISTS 445 

XLVI.    THE    ROAD   TO   THINGVALLA 449 

XLVII.    THE   ALMANNAJAU 4G5 

XLVIII.    THINGVALLA 47G 

XLIX.    THE   ROAD   TO   THE    GEYSERS 490 

L.    THE    GEYSERS 503 

LI.    THE    ENGLISH    SPORTS   IN   TROUBLE 527 

LII.    A   FRIGHTFUL   ADVENTURE 537 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAOB 

Laborers  and  Shipwrights 10 

Russian  and  Finn 11 

Cooper's  Shop  and  Residence 15 

Merchant,  Peddlers,  and  Coachman 18 

Istrovoschiks 21 

Fish  Peddler 29 

Young  Peasants 31 

Dvornick  and  Postman 35 

Glazier,  Painter,  Carpenters 37 

Hay  Gatherers 4G 

Prisoners  for  Siberia 58 

Tea-sellers Gl 

Mujiks  at  Tea 63 

Russian  Theatre 6§- 

The  Peterskoi  Gardens 72 

Vodka 75 

Old-clothes'  Market 78 

Cabinet-makers 84 

Pigs,  Pups,  and  Pans 87 

Imperial  Nosegay 90 

Skinned  and  Stuffed  Man 100 

Frozen  Animals  in  the  Market 101 

Mujik  and  Cats 103 

Effects  of  " Little  Water" Ill 

Russian  Beggars 115 

Gambling  Saloon 122 

A  Passage  of  loliteness 157 

Serfs 168. 

In  Norseland 292 

The  Steamer  entering  the  Fjord 295 

Coast  of  Norway 297 

The  Islands 299 

Approach  to  Christiania 303 

Station-house,  Logen  Valley 313 

Station-boy ..  321 


vi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


" Good-by— Many  Thanks!" , 322 

Norwegian  Peasant  Family 324 

The  Post-girl 330 

Waiting  for  a  Nibble 341 

Snow-plow 344 

A  Drinking  Bout 345 

A  Norwegian  Farm 347 

Norwegian  Church 348 

Parish  Schoolmaster 349 

Dovre  Fjeld 353 

Playing  him  out 356 

English  Sportsman 358 

Bear  Chase 359 

Peasant  Women  at  Work 360 

Wheeling  Girls 363 

Justice  ot  the  Peace 365 

Model  Landlord 367 

Drivsdal  Valley 369 

Passage  on  the  Driv 371 

The  Prize 375 

Traveling  on  Foot 382 

The  great  Geyser 385 

Hans  Christian  Andersen 394 

A  Dandy  Tourist 406 

Thorshavn 407 

View  in  Faroe  Islands 409 

Faroese  Children 412 

Faroese  Islanders 414 

Kirk  Goboe 421 

Farm-house  and  Ruins 423 

Faroese  on  Horseback..... 425 

Natural  Bridge 427 

Coast  of  Iceland 429 

The  Meal-sack 430 

Reykjavik,  the  Capital  of  Iceland 432 

Governor's  Residence,  Reykjavik 434 

Icelandic  Houses 435 

Church  at  Reykjavik 436 

Icelanders  at  Work 438 

Geir  Zdega v 441 

Icelandic  Horses 443 

English  Party  at  Reykjavik 447 

A  Rough  Road 451 

Taking  Snuff 454 

An  Icelandic  Bog 459 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  '    vii 

PAGE 

Gcir  Zb'ega  and  Brusa... 463 

Entrance  to  the  Almannajau 466 

The  Almannajau 467 

Skeleton  View  of  the  Almannajau 469 

Outline  View  of  Thingvalla 470 

Fall  of  the  Almannajau 472 

Icelandic  Shepherd-girl 473 

Church  at  Thingvalla 477 

The  Pastor's  House 479 

The  Pastor  of  Thingvalla '. 485 

Skeleton  View  of  the  Logberg 488 

Thingvalla,  Logberg,  Almannajau 489 

Diagram  of  the  Logberg 490 

An  Artist  at  Home 4.92 

Lava-fjelds 494 

Effigy  in  Lava 495 

The  Hrafnajau 497 

The  Tintron  Rock 499 

Bridge  River 502 

Shepherd  and  Family 506 

The  Strokhr 516 

Side-saddle 519 

Great  Geyser  and  Receiver 525 

Strokhr  and  Receiver 525 

"Oh-o-o-ah!" 529 

The  English  Party , 533 

Interior  of  Icelandic  Hut 536 

An  Awkward  Predicament 540 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IMPKESSIONS    OF    ST.  PETERSBUKG. 

I  LANDED  at  St.  Petersburg  with  a  knapsack  on  my 
back  and  a  hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket.  An  extens 
ive  tour  along  the  borders  of  the  Arctic  Circle  was  be 
fore  me,  and  it  was  necessary  I  should  husband  my  re 
sources. 

In  my  search  for  a  cheap  German  gasthaus  I  walked 
nearly  all  over  the  city.  My  impressions  were  probably 
tinctured  by  the  circumstances  of  my  position,  but  it 
seemed  to  me  I  had  never  seen  so  strange  a  place. 

The  best  streets  of  St.  Petersburg  resemble  on  an  in 
ferior  scale  the  best  parts  of  Paris,  Berlin,  and  Vienna. 
Nothing  in  the  architecture  conveys  any  idea  of  national 
taste  except  the  glittering  cupolas  of  the  churches,  the 
showy  colors  of  the  houses,  and  the  vast  extent  and  or 
namentation  of  the  palaces.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
city  is  that  of  immense  level  space.  Built  upon  islands, 
cut  up  into  various^sections  by  the  branches  of  the  Neva, 
intersected  by  canals,  destitute  of  eminent  points  of  ob 
servation,  the  whole  city  has  a  scattered  and  incongru 
ous  effect — an  incomprehensible  remoteness  about  it,  as 
if  one  might  continually  wander  about  without  finding 
the  centre.  Some  parts,  of  course,  are  better  than  oth 
ers;  some  streets  are  indicative  of  wealth  and  luxury; 
but  without  a  guide  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  determine 
whether  there  are  not  still  finer  buildings  and  quarters 
in  the  main  part  of  the  city — if  you  could  only  get  at  it. 
The  eye  wanders  continually  in  search  of  heights  and 

A2 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


11 


prominent  objects.  Even  the  Winter  Palace,  the  Admi 
ralty,  and  the  Izaak  Church  lose  much  of  their  grandeur 
in  the  surrounding  deserts  of  space  from  the  absence  of 
contrast  with  familiar  and  tangible  objects.  It  is  only 
by  a  careful  examination  in  detail  that  one  can  become 
fully  sensible  of  their  extraordinary  magnificence.  Vast 
streets  of  almost  interminable  length,  lined  by  insignifi 
cant  two-story  houses  with  green  roofs  and  yellow  walls ; 


RUSSIAN   AND  FINN. 


vast  open  squares  or  ploschads  ;  palaces,  public  buildings, 
and  churches,  dwindled  down  to  mere  toy-work  in  the 
deserts  of  space  intervening ;  countless  throngs  of  citi 
zens  and  carriages  scarcely  bigger  than  ants  to  the  eye ; 
broad  sheets  of  water,  dotted  with  steamers,  brigs,  barks, 


12  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

wood-barges  and  row-boats,  still  infinitesimal  in  the  dis 
tance  ;  long  rows  of  trees,  forming  a  foliage  to  some  of 
the  principal  promenades,  with  glimpses  of  gardens  and 
shrubbery  at  remote  intervals ;  canals  and  dismal  green 
swamps — not  all  at  one  sweep  of  the  eye,  but  visible  from 
time  to  time  in  the  course  of  an  afternoon's  ramble,  are 
the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  this  wonderful  city. 
A  vague  sense  of  loneliness  impresses  the  traveler  from 
a  distant  land — as  if  in  his  pilgrimage  through  foreign 
climes  he  had  at  length  wandered  into  the  midst  of  a 
strange  and  peculiar  civilization — a  boundless  desert  of 
wild-looking  streets,  a  waste  of  colossal  palaces,  of  gild 
ed  churches  and  glistening  waters,  all  perpetually  dwin 
dling  away  before  him  in  the  infinity  of  space.  He  sees 
a  people  strange  and  unfamiliar  in  costume  and  expres 
sion  ;  fierce,  stern-looking  officers,  rigid  in  features,  close 
ly  shaved,  and  dressed  in  glittering  uniforms ;  grave, 
long-bearded  priests,  with  square-topped  black  turbans, 
their  flowing  black  drapery  trailing  in  the  dust ;  pale 
women  richly  and  elegantly  dressed,  gliding  unattended 
through  mazes  of  the  crowd;  rough,  half-savage  serfs,  in 
dirty  pink  sjn'rts,  loose  trowsers,  and  big  boots,  bowing 
down  before  the  shrines  on  the  bridges  and  public 
places;  the  drosky  drivers,  with  their  long  beards,  small 
bell-shaped  hats,  long  blue  coats  and  fire-bucket  boots, 
lying  half  asleep  upon  their  rusty  little  vehicles  awaiting 
a  customer,  or  dashing  away  at  a  headlong  pace  over  the 
rough  cobble-paved  streets,  and  so  on  of  every  class  and 
kind.  The  traveler  wanders  about  from  place  to  place, 
gazing  into  the  strange  faces  he  meets,  till  the  sense  of 
loneliness  becomes  oppressive.  An  invisible  but  impass 
able  barrier  seems  to  stand  between  him  and  the  moving 
multitude.  He  hears  languages  that  fall  without  a  mean 
ing  upon  his  ear  ;  wonders  at  the  soft  inflections  of  the 
voices ;  vainly  seeks  some  familiar  look  or  word ;  thinks 
it  strange  that  he  alone  should  be  cut  off  from  all  com 
munion  with  the  souls  of  men  around  him  ;  and  then 
wonders  if  they  have  souls  like  other  people,  and  why 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  13 

there  is  no  kindred  expression  in  their  faces — no  visible 
consciousness'  of  a  common  humanity.  It  is  natural  that 
every  stranger  in  a  strange  city  should  experience  this 
feeling  to  some  extent,  but  I  know  of  no  place  where  it 
seems  so  strikingly  the  case  as  in  St.  Petersburg.  Accus 
tomed  as  I  was  to  strange  cities  and  strange  languages, 
I  never  felt  utterly  lonely  until  I  reached  this  great  mart 
of  commerce  and  civilization.  The  costly  luxury  of  the 
palaces ;  the  wild  Tartaric  glitter  of  the  churches ;  the 
tropical  luxuriance  of  the  gardens  •  the  brilliant,  equi 
pages  of  the  nobility ;  the  display  of  military  power  ;  the 
strange  and  restless  throngs  forever  moving  through 
the  haunts  of  business  and  pleasure ;  the  uncouth  cos 
tumes  of  the  lower  classes,  and  the  wonderful  commin 
gling  of  sumptuous  elegance  and  barbarous  filth,  visible 
in  almost  every  thing,  produced  a  singular  feeling  of  min 
gled  wonder  and  isolation — as  if  the  solitary  traveler 
were  the  only  person  in  the  world  who  was  not  permit 
ted  to  comprehend  the  spirit  and  import  of  the  scene,  or 
take  a  part  in  the  great  drama  of  life  in  which  all  others 
seemed  to  be  engaged.  I  do  not  know  if  plain,  practi 
cal  men  are  generally  so  easily  impressed  by  external  ob 
jects,  but  I  must  confess  that  when  I  trudged  along  the 
streets  with  my  knapsack  on  my  back,  looking  around  in 
every  direction  for  a  gasthaus ;  when  I  spoke  to  people 
in  my  peculiar  style  of  French  and  German,  and  received 
unintelligible  answers  in  Russian  ;  when  I  got  lost  among 
palaces  and  grand  military  establishments,  instead  of 
finding  the  gasthaus,  and  finally  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  surly-looking  guards,  who  Avere  stationed  about 
every  where,  by  the  anxious  pertinacity  with  which  I  ex 
amined  every  building,  a  vague  notion  began  to  get  pos 
session  of  me  that  I  was  a  sort  of  outlaw,  and  would 
sooner  or  later  be  seized  and  dragged  before  the  Czar  for 
daring  to  enter  such  a  magnificent  city  in  such  an  un 
couth  ai?d  unbecoming  manner.  When  I  cast  my  eyes 
up  at  the  sign-boards,  and  read  about  grand  fabrications 
and  steam-companies,  and  walked  along  the  quays  of  the 


14  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

Neva,  and  saw  wood  enough  piled  up  in  big  broad-bottom 
ed  boats  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  myself  and  family  for  ten 
thousand  years;  when  I  strolled  into  the  Nevskoi,  and  jos 
tled  my  way  through  crowds  of  nobles,  officers,  soldiers, 
dandies,  and  commoners,  stopping  suddenly  at  every  pic 
ture-shop,  gazing  dreamily  into  the  gorgeous  millinery 
establishments,  pondering  thoughtfully  over  the  glitter 
ing  wares  of  the  jewelers,  lagging  moodily  by  the  grand 
cafes,  and  snuffing  reflectively  the  odors  that  came  from 
the  grand  restaurations — when  all  this  occurred,  and  I 
went  down  into  a  beer-cellar  and  made  acquaintance  with 
a  worthy  German,  and  he  asked  me  if  I  had  any  meer 
schaums  to  sell,  the  notion  that  I  had  no  particular  busi 
ness  in  so  costly  and  luxurious  a  place  began  to  grow 
stronger  than  ever.  A  kind  of  dread  came  over  me  that 
the  mighty  spirit  of  Peter  the  Great  would  come  riding 
through  the  scorching  hot  air  on  a  gale  of  suowflakes,  at 
the  head  of  a  bloody  phalanx  of  Muscovites,  and,  rising 
in  his  stirrups  as  he  approached,  would  demand  of  me  in 
a  voice  of  thunder,  "  Stranger,  how  much  money  have 
you  got  ?"  to  which  I  could  only  answer,  "  Sublime  and 
potent  Czar,  taking  the  average  value  of  my  Roaring 
Grizzly,  Dead  Broke,  Gone  Case,  and  Sorrowful  Counte 
nance,  and  placing  it  against  the  present  value  of  Rus 
sian  securities,  I  consider  it  within  the  bounds  of  reason 
to  say  that  I  hold  about  a  million  of  rubles  !"  But  if  he 
should  insist  upon  an  exhibit  of  ready  cash — there  was 
the  rub !  It  absolutely  made  me  feel  weak  in  the  knees 
to  think  of  it.  Indeed,  a  horrid  suspicion  seized  me,  after 
I  had  crossed  the  bridge  and  begun  to  renew  my  search 
for  a  cheap  gasthaus  on  the  Vasoli  Ostrou,  that  every  fat, 
neatly-shaved  man  I  met,  with  small  gray  eyes,  a  polish 
ed  hat  on  his  head  drawn  a  little  over  his  brow,  his  lips 
compressed,  and  his  coat  buttoned  closely  around  his 
body,  was  a  rich  banker,  and  that  he  was  saying  to  him 
self  as  I  passed,  "That  fellow  with  the  slouched  hat  and 
the  knapsack  is  a  suspicious  character,  to  say  the  least 
of  him.  It  becomes  my  duty  to  warn  the  police  of  his 


16  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

movements.  I  suspect  him  to  be  a  Hungarian  refti- 
gee." 

With  some  difficulty,  I  succeeded  at  length  in  finding 
just  such  a  place  as  I  desired — clean  and  comfortable 
enough,  considering  the  circumstances,  and  not  unusual 
ly  fertile  in  vermin  for  a  city  like  St.  Petersburg,  which 
produces  all  kinds  of  troublesome  insects  spontaneously. 
There  was  this  advantage  in  my  quarters,  in  addition  to 
their  cheapness — that  the  proprietor  and  attendants  spoke 
several  of  the  Christian  languages,  including  German, 
which,  of  all  languages  in  the  world,  is  the  softest  and 
most  euphonious  to  my  ear  —  when  I  arn  away  from 
Frankfort.  Besides,  my  room  was  very  advantageously 
arranged  for  a  solitary  traveler.  Being  about  eight  feet 
square,  with  only  one  small  window  overlooking  the  back 
yard,  and  effectually  secured  by  iron  fastenings,  so  that 
nobody  could  open  it,  there  was  no  possibility  of  thieves 
getting  in  and  robbing  me  when  the  door  was  shut  and 
locked  on  the  inside.  Its  closeness  presented  an  effect 
ual  barrier  against  the  night  air,  which  in  these  high 
northern  latitudes  is  considered  extremely  unwholesome 
to  sleep  in.  \Vith  the  thermometer  at  100  degrees  Fah 
renheit,  the  atmosphere,  to  be  sure,  was  a  little  swelter 
ing  during  the  day,  and  somewhat  thick  by  night,  but 
that  was  an  additional  advantage,  inasmuch  as  it  forced 
the  occupant  to  stay  out  most  of  the  time  and  see  a  great 
deal  more  of  the  town  than  he  could  possibly  see  in  his 
room. 

Having  deposited  my  knapsack  and  put  my  extra  shirt 
in  the  wash,  you  will  now  be  kind  enough  to  consider 
me  the  shade  of  Virgil,  ready  to  lend  you,  after  the 
fashion  of  Dante,  through  the  infernal  regions  or  any 
where  else  within  the  bounds  of  justice,  even  through 
St.  Petersburg,  where  the  climate  in  summer  is  hot 
enough  to  satisfy  almost  any  body.  The  sun  shines 
here,  in  June  and  July,  for  twenty  hours  a  day,  and 
even  then  scarcely  disappears  beneath  the  horizon.  I 
never  experienced  such  sweltering  weather  in  any  part 


?Y 

THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  17 

of  the  world  except  Aspinwall.  One  is  fairly  boiled  with 
the  heat,  and  might  be  wrung  out  like  a  wet  rag.  Prop 
erly  speaking,  the  day  commences  for  respectable  peo 
ple,  and  men  of  enterprising  spirit  —  tourists,  pleasure- 
seekers,  gamblers,  vagabonds,  and  the  like — about  nine 
or  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  continues  till  about  four  or 
five  o'clock  the  next  morning.  It  is  then  St.  Petersburg 
fairly  turns  out ;  then  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  city 
unfold  their  wings  and  flit  through  the  streets,  or  float 
in  Russian  gondolas  upon  the  glistening  waters  of  the 
Neva;  then  it  is  the  little  steamers  skim  about  from 
island  to  island,  freighted  with  a  population  just  waked 
up  to  a  realizing  sense  of  the  pleasures  of  existence ; 
then  is  the  atmosphere  balmy,  and  the  light  wonderfully 
soft  and  richly  tinted ;  then  come  the  sweet  witching 
hours,  when 

1  'Shady  nooks 
Patiently  give  up  their  quiet  being." 

None  but  the  weary,  labor-worn  serf,  who  has  toiled 
through  the  long  day  in  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun,  can 
sleep  such  nights  as  these.  I  call  them  nights,  yet 
what  a  strange  mistake.  The  sunshine  still  lingers  in 
the  heavens  with  a  golden  glow ;  the  evening  vanishes 
dreamily  in  the  arms  of  the  morning ;  there  is  nothing 
to  mark  the  changes — all  is  soft,  gradual,  and  illusory. 
A  peculiar  and  almost  supernatural  light  glistens  upon 
the  gilded  domes  of  the  churches;  the  glaring  waters  of 
the  Neva  are  alive  with  gondolas ;  miniature  steamers 
are  flying  through  the  winding  channels  of  the  islands; 
strains  of  music  float  upon  the  air ;  gay  and  festive 
throngs  move  along  the  promenades  of  the  Nevskoi ; 
gilded  and  glittering  equipages  pass  over  the  bridges 
and  disappear  in  the  shadowy  recesses  of  the  islands. 
Whatever  may  be  unseemly  in  life  is  covered  by  a  rich 
and  mystic  drapery  of  twilight.  The  floating  bath 
houses  of  the  Neva,  with  their  variegated  tressel-work 
and  brilliant  colors,  resemble  fairy  palaces ;  and  the  plash 
ing  of  the  bathers  falls  upon  the  ear  like  the  gambols 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  19 

of  water-spirits.  Not  far  from  the  Izaak  Bridge,  the 
equestrian  statue  of  Peter  the  Great  stands  out  in  bold 
relief  on  a  pedestal  of  granite ;  the  mighty  Czar,  casting 
an  eagle  look  over  the  waters  of  the  Neva,  while  his 
noble  steed  rears  over  the  yawning  precipice  in  front, 
crushing  a  serpent  beneath  his  hoof.  The  spirit  of  Peter 
the  Great  still  lives  throughout  Russia ;  but  it  is  better 
understood  in  the  merciless  blasts  of  winter  than  in  the 
soft  glow  of  the  summer  nights. 

Wander  with  me  now,  and  let  us  take  a  look  at  the 
Winter  Palace — the  grandest  pile,  perhaps,  ever  built  by 
human  hands.  Six  thousand  people  occupy  it  during  the 
long  winter  months,  and  well  they  may,  for  it  is  a  city  of 
palaces  in  itself.  Fronting  the  Neva,  it  occupies  a  space 
of  several  acres,  its  massive  walls  richly  decorated  with 
ornamental  designs,  a  forest  of  chimneys  on  top  —  the 
whole  pile  forming  an  immense  oblong  square  so  grand, 
so  massive,  so  wonderfully  rich  and  varied  in  its  details, 
that  the  imagination  is  lost  in  a  colossal  wilderness  of 
architectural  beauties.  Standing  in  the  open  plozchad, 
we  may  gaze  at  this  magnificent  pile  for  hours,  and 
dream  over  it,  and  picture  to  our  minds  the  scenes  of 
splendor  its  inner  walls  have  witnessed;  the  royal  fetes 
of  the  Czars ;  the  courtly  throngs  that  have  filled  its 
halls ;  the  vast  treasures  expended  in  erecting  it ;  the 
enslaved  multitudes,  now  low  in  the  dust,  who  have  left 
this  monument  to  speak  of  human  pride,  and  the  sweat 
and  toil  that  pride  must  Yeed  upon ;  and  while  we  gaze 
and  dream  thus,  a  mellow  light  comes  down  from  the 
firmament,  and  the  mighty  Czars,  and  their  palaces,  and 
armies,  and  navies,  and  worldly  strifes,  what  are  they  in 
the  presence  of  the  everlasting  Power  ?  For  "  it  is  he 
that  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth,  and  the  inhabit 
ants  thereof  are  as  grasshoppers." 

But  these  dreamings  and  these  wanderings  through 
this  city  of  palaces  would  be  endless.  We  may  feast  our 
eyes  upon  the  Admiralty,  the  Winter  Palace,  the  Marble 
Palace,  the  Senate-house,  the  palace  of  the  Grand-duke 


20  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

Michael,  the  Column  of  Alexander,  the  colleges,  univer 
sities,  imperial  gardens  and  summer-houses,  and,  after 
all,  we  can  only  feel  that  they  are  built  upon  the  necks 
of  an  enslaved  people ;  that  the  mightiest  Czars  of  Rus 
sia,  in  common  with  the  poorest  serfs,  are  but  "  as  grass 
hoppers  upon  the  earth." 

The  istrovoschik  (sneeze  and  you  have  the  word) — in 
plain  English,  the  drosky  drivers — are  a  notable  feature 
in  St.  Petersburg,  When  I  saw  them  for  the  first  time 
on  the  quay  of  the  Wassaly  Ostrow,  where  the  steamer 
from  Stettin  lands  her  passengers,  the  idea  naturally  im 
pressed  my  mind  that  I  had  fallen  among  a  brotherhood 
of  Pilgrims  or  Druids.  Nothing  could  be  more  unique 
than  the  incongruity  of  their  costume  and  occupation. 
Every  man  looked  like  a  priest ;  his  long  beard,  his  grave 
expression  of  countenance,  his  little  black  hat  and  flowing 
blue  coat,  gathered  around  the  wraist  by  means  of  a  sash, 
his  glazed  boots  reaching  above  the  knees,  his  slow  and 
measured  motions,  and  the  sublime  indifference  with 
which  he  regarded  his  customers,  were  singularly  im 
pressive.  Even  the  filth  and  rustiness  which  formed  the 
most  prominent  characteristics  of  the  class  contributed 
to  the  delusion  that  they  might  have  sprung  from  a 
Druidical  source,  and  gathered  their  dust  of  travel  on 
the  pilgrimage  from  remote  ages  down  to  the  present 
period.  It  is  really  something  novel,  in  the  line  of  hack 
ery,  to  see  those  sedate  fellows  sitting  on  their  little 
droskys  awaiting  a  customer.  The  force  of  competition, 
however,  has  of  late  years  committed  sad  inroads  upon 
their  dignity,  and  now  they  are  getting  to  be  about  as 
enterprising  and  pertinacious  as  any  of  their  kindred  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  The  drosky  is  in  itself  a  curi 
osity  as  a  means  of  locomotion.  Like  the  driver,  it  is 
generally  dirty  and  dilapidated ;  but  here  the  similitude 
ends ;  for,  while  the  former  is  often  high,  his  drosky  is 
always  low.  The  wheels  are  not  bigger  than  those  of 
an  ordinary  dog-cart,  and  the  seat  is  only  designed  for 
one  person,  though  on  a  pinch  it  can  accommodate  two. 


THE  LAND  OF  T1IOR. 


I8TROVOSCIIIK8. 


Generally  it  consists  of  a  plank  covered  with  a  cushion, 
extending  lengthwise  in  the  same  direction  as  the  horse, 
so  that  the  rider  sits  astride  of  it  as  if  riding  on  horse 
back  ;  some,  however,  have  been  modernized  so  as  to 
afford  a  more  convenient  seat  in  the  usual  way..  Night 
and  day  these  droskys  are  every  where  to  be  seen,  some 
times  drawn  up  by  the  sidewalk,  the  driver  asleep,  await 
ing  a  customer,  but  more  frequently  rattling  full  tilt  over 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

the  pavements  (the  roughest  in  the  world)  with  a  load, 
consisting,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  of  a  fat  old  gen 
tleman  in  military  uniform,  a  very  ugly  old  lady  with 
a  lap-dog,  or  a  very  dashy  young  lady  glittering  with 
jewels,  on  her  way,  perhaps,  to  the  Confiseur's  or  some 
where  else.  But  in  a  city  like  St.  Petersburg,  where  it 
is  at  least  two  or  three  miles  from  one  place  to  another, 
every  body  with  twenty  kopecks  in  his  pocket  uses  the 
drosky.  It  is  the»most  convenient  and  economical  mode 
of  locomotion  for  all  ordinary  purposes,  hence  the  num 
ber  of  them  is  very  large.  On  some  of  the  principal 
streets  it  is  marvelous  how  they  wind  their  way  at  such 
a  rattling  pace  through  the  crowd.  To  a  stranger  un 
acquainted  with  localities,  they  are  a  great  convenience. 
And  here,  you  see,  commences  the  gist  of  the  story. 

On  a  certain  occasion  I  called  a  drosky-man  and  di 
rected  him  to  drive  me  to  the  United  States  Consulate. 
Having  never  been  there  myself,  I  depended  solely  upon 
the  intelligence  and  enterprise  of  the  istrovoschik.  My 
knowledge  of  the  Russian  consisted  of  three  words — the 
name  of  the  street  and  dratzall  kopeck,  the  latter  being 
the  stipulated  fare  of  twenty  kopecks.  By  an  affirm 
ative  signal  the  driver  gave  me  to  understand  that  he 
fully  comprehended  my  wishes,  and,  with  a  flourish  of 
his  whip,  away  we  started.  After  driving  me  nearly  all 
over  the  city  of  St.  Petersburg — a  pretty  extensive  city, 
as  any  body  will  find  who  undertakes  to  walk  through  it 
— this  adroit  and  skillful  whipster,  who  had  never  utter 
ed  a  word  from  the  time  of  starting,  now  deliberately 
drew  up  his  drosky  on  the  corner  of  a  principal  street 
and  began  a  conversation.  I  repeated  the  name  of  the 
street  in  which  the  consulate  was  located,  and  dratzall 
kopeck.  The  driver  gazed  in  my  face  with  a  grave  and 
placid  countenance,  stroked  his  long  beard,  tucked  the 
skirts  of  his  long  blue  coat  under  him,  and  drove  on 
again.  After  rattling  over  a  series  of  the  most  frightful 
cobble-stone  pavements  ever  designed  as  an  improvement 
in  a  great  city,  through  several  new  quarters,  he  again 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  23 

stopped  and  treated  me  to  some  more  remarks  in  his 
native  language.  I  answered  as  before,  the  name  of  the 
street.  He  shook  his  head  with  discouraging  gravity. 
I  then  remarked  dratzall  kopeck.  From  the  confused 
answer  he  made,  which  occupied  at  least  ten  minutes  of 
his  time,  and  of  which  I  was  unable  to  comprehend  a 
single  word,  it  was  apparent  that  he  was  as  ignorant  of 
his  own  language  as  he  was  of  the  city.  In  this  extrem 
ity  he  called  another  driver  to  his  aid,  who  spoke  just 
the  words  of  English,  "  Gooda-morkig  !"  "  Good-morn 
ing,"  said  I.  From  this  the  conversation  lapsed  at  once 
into  remote  depths  of  Russian.  In  despair  I  got  out  of 
the  drosky  and  walked  along  the  street,  looking  up  at 
all  the  signs — the  driver  after  me  with  his  drosky,  ap 
parently  watching  to  see  that  I  did  not  make  my  escape. 
At  length  I  espied  a  German  name  on  a  bakery  sign. 
How  familiar  it  looked  in  that  desert  of  unintelligible 
Russian — like  a  favorite  quotation  in  a  page  of  meta 
physics.  I  w^ent  in  and  spoke  German — me  gaetz  ?  You 
arc  aware,  perhaps,  that  I  excel  in  that  language.  I  asked 
the  way  to  the  United  States  Consulate.  The  baker  had 
probably  forgotten  his  native  tongue,  if  ever  he  knew  it 
at  all,  for  I  could  get  nothing  out  of  him  but  a  shake  of 
the  head  and  nicht  fur  stay.  However,  he  had  the  good 
ness,  seeing  my  perplexity,  to  put  on  his  hat  and  under 
take  to  find  the  consul's,  which,  by  dint  of  inquiry,  he  at 
length  ascertained  to  be  about  half  a  mile  distant.  We 
walked  all  the  way,  this  good  old  baker  and  I,  he  refus 
ing  to  ride  because  there  was  only  room  for  one,  and  I 
not  liking  to  do  so  and  let  him  walk.  The  drosky-man 
followed  in  the  rear,  driving  along  very  leisurely,  and 
with  great  apparent  comfort  to  himself.  He  leaned  back 
in  his  seat  with  much  gusto,  and  seemed  rather  amused 
than  otherwise  at  our  movements.  At  length  we  reach 
ed  the  consulate.  It  was  about  three  hundred  yards 
from  my  original  point  of  departure.  Any  other  man 
in  existence  than  my  istrovoschik  would  have  sunk  into 
the  earth  upon  seeing  me  make  this  astounding  dis- 


24  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

covery.  I  knew  it  by  certain  landmarks — a  church  and 
a  garden.  But  he  did  not  sink  into  the  earth.  He  mere 
ly  sat  on  his  drosky  as  cool  as  a  cucumber.  I  felt  so 
grateful  to  the  worthy  baker,  who  was  a  fat  old  gentle 
man,  and  perspired  freely  after  his  walk,  that  I  gave  him 
thirty  kopecks.  The  drosky-man  claimed  forty  kopecks, 
just  double  his  fare.  I  called  in  the  services  of  an  in 
terpreter,  and  protested  against  this  imposition.  The  in 
terpreter  and  the  drosky-man  got  into  an  animated  dis 
pute  on  the  question,  and  must  have  gone  clear  back  to 
the  fundamental  principles  of  droskyism,  for  they  seem 
ed  likely  never  to  come  to  an  end.  The  weather  was 
warm,  and  both  kept  constantly  wiping  their  faces,  and 
turning  the  whole  subject  over  and  over  again,  without 
the  slightest  probability  of  an  equitable  conclusion.  At 
length  my  interpreter  said,  "Perhaps,  sir,  you  had  bet 
ter  pay  it.  The  man  says  you  kept  him  running  about 
for  over  two  hours ;  and  since  you  have  no  proof  to  the 
contrary,  it  would  only  give  you  trouble  to  have  him 
punished."  This  view  accorded  entirely  with  my  own, 
and  I  cheerfully  paid  the  forty  kopecks ;  also  ten  kopecks 
drink-geld,  and  a  small  douceur  of  half  a  ruble  (fifty  ko 
pecks)  to  the  gentleman  who  had  so  kindly  settled  the 
difficulty  for  me.  After  many  years'  experience  of  travel, 
I  am  satisfied,  as  before  stated,  that  a  man  may  be  born 
naturally  honest,  but  can  not  long  retain  his  integrity 
in  the  hack  business.  He  must  sooner  or  later  take  to 
swindling,  otherwise  he  can  never  keep  his  horses  fat, 
or  make  the  profession  respectable  and  remunerative. 
Such,  at  least,  has  been  my  experience  of  men  in  this  line 
of  business,  not  excepting  the  istrovoschik  of  St.  Peters 
burg. 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  25 


CHAPTER  II. 

A   PLEASANT   EXCURSION. 

I  HAD  the  good  fortune,  during  ray  ramble,  to  meet 
with  a  couple  of  fellow-passengers  from  Stettin.  One 
of  them  was  a  rough,  weather-beaten  man  of  middle 
age,  with  rather  marked  features,  but  not  an  unkindly 
expression.  His  mysterious  conduct  during  the  voyage 
had  frequently  attracted  my  attention.  There  was  some 
thing  curious  about  his  motions,  as  if  an  invisible  com 
panion,  to  whom  he  was  bound  in  some  strange  .way, 
continually  accompanied  him.  He  drank  enormous  quan 
tities  of  beer,  and  smoked  from  morning  till  night  a  tre 
mendous  meerschaum,  which  must  have  held  at  least 
a  pint  of  tobacco.  When  not  engaged  in  drinking 
beer  and  smoking,  he  usually  walked  rapidly  up  and 
down  the  decks,  with  his  hands  behind  him  and  his  head 
bent  down,  talking  in  a  guttural  voice  to  himself  about 
"hemp."  He  slept  —  or  rather  lay  down,  for  I  don't 
think  he  ever  slept — with  his  head  close  to  mine  on  a 
bench  in  the  cabin,  and  it  was  a  continued  source  of 
trouble  to  me  the  way  he  puffed,  and  groaned,  and  talk 
ed  about  "  hemp."  Sometimes  he  was  half  the  night  ar 
guing  with  himself  about  the  various  prices  and  qualities 
of  this  useful  article,  but  I  did  not  understand  enough  of 
his  blat  deutsch  to  gather  the  drift  of  the  argument.  All  I 
could  make  out  was  "Zwtimal  zwei  maclit  vier — (a  puff) 
— seeks  und  vierzig — (a  groan) — acht  und  sechzig  macht 
em  hundert — (a  snort) — sieben  tausend — acht  tausend 
funf  und  dreissig  thaler — (a  sigh) — schilling — Jcopeck 
— ruble — liemphf!  Mein  Gott !  Zwei  und  dreissig  tau 
send — hemphf—  ruble — (a  terrible  gritting  of  the  teeth) 
— seeks  undfiinfzig —  G  ott  inn  Himmel! — Ich  kann  nicht 
schlafen  /"  Here  he  would  jump  up  and  shout,  "  Kellner ' 
B 


26  THE  LAND  OF  THOR 

Kellner  !  ein  flask  bier  ! — seeks  und  zechzig — zweimal 
acht  und  vierzig  !  Kellner, flask  bier! — Liebe  Gott — 
was  ist  das? — Nine  und  sechzig— flask  bier  !  KleicJi! 
KleichI"  When  the  beer  came  he  would  drink  off  three 
bottles  without  stopping,  then  light  his  pipe,  fill  the  cab 
in  with  smoke,  and  after  he  had  done  that  go  on  deck  to 
get  the  fresh  air.  I  could  hear  him  for  hours  walking 
up  and  down  over  my  head,  and  thought  I  could  occa 
sionally  detect  the  words  "IIemphf — ruble  —  thaler  — 
ftinfmal  sechs  und  zicanzig — mein  Gott  /"  It  was  evi 
dent  the  man  was  laboring  under  some  dreadful  internal 
excitement  about  the  price  of  hemp.  What  could  it 
be?  Was  he  going  to  hang  himself?  Did  he  contem 
plate  buying  some  Russian  hemp  for  that  purpose  espe 
cially  ?  The  mystery  was  heightened  by  the  fact  that 
he  was  frequently  in  close  conversation  with  the  young 
man  whom  I  have  already  mentioned  as  my  other  fel 
low-passenger,  and  they  both  talked  about  nothing  else 
but  hemp.  What  in  the  name  of  sense  were  they  going 
to  do  with  hemp  in  Mechlenberg,  their  native  country, 
where  people  were  beheaded  —  unless  they  meant  to 
hang  themselves  ?  The  mystery  troubled  me  so  much 
that  I  finally  made  bold  to  ask  the  young  man  if  his 
friend  had  committed  any  serious  crime,  and  whether 
that  was  the  reason  he  talked  so  much  about  hemp? 
These  North  Germans  are  a  queer  people.  I  don't  think 
they  ever  suspect  any  body  to  be  joking.  They  take  the 
most  outrageous  proposition  literally,  and  never  seem  to 
understand  that  there  can  be  two  meanings  to  any  thing. 
As  Sydney  Smith  says  of  the  Scotch,  it  would  take  a  sur 
gical  operation  to  get  a  joke  well  into  their  understand 
ing.  When  I  propounded  this  question  to  my  young 
fellow-passenger — a  very  amiable  and  intelligent  young 
man — he  looked  distressed  and  horror-stricken,  and  re 
plied  with  great  earnestness,  "  Oh  no,  he  is  a  very  re 
spectable  man.  I  am  certain  he  never  committed  a  crime 
in  his  life."  "  But,"  said  I,  "  if  he  doesn't  intend  to  hang 
somebody,  why  should  he  rave  about  hemp  all  night  ?" 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  27 

"  Oh,  he  is  a  rope-maker.  lie  is  going  to  Russia  to  buy  a 
cargo  of  hemp,  and  he's  afraid  prices  will  go  up  unless  he 
gets  there  soon.  The  head  wind  and  chopping  sea  keep 
us  back  a  good  deal."  "Yes,  yes,  I  understand  it  all 
now.  Suppose,  my  young  friend,  you  and  I  go  to  work 
and  help  the  steamer  along  a  little?  It  would  be  doing 
a  great  service  to  the  cause  of  hemp,  and  enable  me  to 
sleep  besides."  The  Mechlenberger  looked  incredulous. 
"Plow  are  we  to  do  it?"  he  asked  at  length.  "Oh, 
nothing  easier!"  I  answered.  "Just  put  a  couple  of 
these  handspikes  in  the  lee  scuppers — so !  and  hold  her 
steady !"  At  this  the  Mechlenberger,  who  was  a  very 
genial  and  good-natured  fellow,  could  scarcely  help 
laughing,  the  absurdity  of  the  idea  struck  him  so  for 
cibly.  Seeing,  however,  that  I  looked  perfectly  in  earn 
est,  he  was  kind  enough  to  explain  the  erroneous  basis 
of  my  calculation,  and  accordingly  entered  into  an  elab 
orate  mathematical  demonstration  to  prove  that  what 
we  gained  by  lifting  we  would  lose  by  the  additional 
pressure  of  our  feet  upon  the  decks !  After  this  I  was 
prepared  to  believe  the  story  of  the  old  Nuremberger, 
who,  when  about  to  set  out  on  his  travels,  got  on  top 
of  his  trunk  and  took  hold  of  each  end  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  it  to  the  post  station.  The  question  about 
the  hemp  was  too  good  to  be  lost,  and  my  young  friend 
had  too  strong  a  business  head  not  to  perceive  the  de 
lightful  verdancy  of  my  character.  He  accordingly  took 
the  earliest  opportunity  to  mention  it  to  his  comrade, 
Herr  Batz,  the  rope-maker,  who  never  stopped  laugh 
ing  about  the  mistake  I  had  made  till  we  got  to  St.  Pe 
tersburg.  They  were  both  very  genial,  pleasant  fellows, 
and  took  a  great  fancy  to  the  Herr  American  who 
thought  Herr  Batz  was  going  to  hang  himself,  and  who 
had  proposed  to  steady  the  steamer  by  means  of  a  hand 
spike.  Such  primitive  simplicity  was  absolutely  refresh 
ing  to  them ;  and,  since  they  enjoyed  it,  of  course  I  did, 
and  we  were  the  best  of  friends. 

On  the  present  occasion,  after  we  had  passed  the  usual 


28  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

compliments  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  hire  a  boat, 
as  the  night  was  fine,  and  take  a  trip  down  to  the  Kam- 
ennoi  Island.  I  was  delighted  to  have  two  such  agree 
able  companions,  and  readily  acceded  to  the  proposi 
tion.  A  young  Russian  in  the  hemp  business  accom 
panied  us,  and  altogether  we  made  a  very  lively  and  hu 
morous  party.  I  was  sorry,  however,  to  be  prejudiced 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Russian  by  having  the  hemp  and 
handspike  story  repeated  in  my  presence,  but  finally  got 
over  that,  and  changed  the  current  of  the  conversation 
by  asking  if  the  Emperor  Alexander  wrould  send  me  to 
Siberia  in  case  I  smoked  a  cigar  in  the  boat  ?  To  which 
the  Russian  responded  somewhat  gravely  that  I  could 
smoke  as  many  cigars  on  the  water  as  I  pleased,  although 
it  was  forbidden  in  the  streets  on  account  of  the  danger 
of  fire  ;  but  that,  in  any  event,  I  would  merely  have  to 
pay  a  fine,  as  people  were  only  sent  k>  Siberia  for  capital 
crimes  and  political  offenses. 

We  got  a  boat  down  near  the  Custom-house,  at  a  point 
of  the  Vassoli  Ostrou,  called  the  Strelka,  and  were  soon 
skimming  along  through  a  small  branch  of  the  Neva,  to 
ward  the  island  of  Krestofskoi.  The  water  was  liter 
ally  alive  with  boats,  all  filled  with  gay  parties  of  pleas 
ure-seekers,  some  on  their  way  to  the  different  islands, 
some  to  the  bath-houses  which  abound  in  every  direc 
tion,  and  all  apparently  enjoying  a  delightful  time  of  it. 
Passing  to  the  right  of  the  Petrofskoi  Island,  whose 
grass-covered  shores  slope  dowrn  to  the  water  like  a  green 
carpet  outspread  under  the  trees,  we  soon  reached  the 
Little  Nevka,  about  three  miles  from  our  starting-point. 
We  disembarked  on  the  Krestofskoi  Island,  near  the 
bridge  which  crosses  from  Petrofskoi.  On  the  right  is 
a  beautiful  palace  belonging  to  some  of  the  royal  family, 
the  gardens  of  which  sweep  down  to  the  waters  of  the 
Nevka,  and  present  a  charming  scene  of  floral  luxuri 
ance.  Gondolas,  richly  carved  and  curiously  shaped,  lay 
moored  near  the  stone  steps ;  the  trestled  bowers  were 
filled  with  gay  parties ;  pleasant  sounds  of  voices  and 


30  THE  LAND  OF  THUK. 

music  floated  upon  the  air,  and  over  all  a  soft  twilight 
gave  a  mystic  fascination  to  the  scene.  I  thought  of 
the  terrible  arctic  winters  that  for  six  months  in  the 
year  cast  their  cold  death-pall  over  the  scene  of  glowing 
and  tropical  luxuriance,  and  wondered  how  it  could  ever 
come  to  life  again ;  how  the  shrubs  could  bloom,  and  the 
birds  sing,  and  the  soft  air  of  the  summer  nights  come 
back  and  linger  where  such  dreary  horrors  were  wont 
to  desolate  the  earth. 

The  constant  dread  of  infringing  upon  the  police  regu 
lations  ;  the  extraordinary  deference  with  which  men  in 
uniform  are  regarded ;  the  circumspect  behavior  at  pub 
lic  places;  the  nice  and  well-regulated  mirthfulness, 
never  overstepping  the  strict  bounds  of  prudence,  wThich 
I  had  so  often  noticed  in  the  northern  states  of  Germany, 
and  which  may  in  part  be  attributed  to  the  naturally 
conservative  and  orderly  character  of  the  people,  are  not 
the  prominent  features  of  the  population  of  St.  Peters 
burg.  It  appeared  to  me  that  in  this  respect  at  least 
they  are  more  like  Americans  than  any  people  I  had  seen 
in  Europe;  they  do  pretty  much  as  they  please;  follow 
such  trades  and  occupations  as  they  like  best ;  become 
noisy  and  uproarious  when  it  suits  them ;  get  drunk  oc 
casionally  ;  fight  now  and  then  ;  lie  about  on  the  grass 
and  under  the  trees  when  they  feel  tired ;  enjoy  them 
selves  to  their  heart's  content  at  all  the  public  places ; 
and  care  nothing  about  the  police  as  long  «s  the  police 
let  them  alone.  I  rather  fancied  there  must  be  a  natural 
democratic  streak  in  these  people,  for  they  are  certainly 
more  free  and  easy  in  their  manners,  rougher  in  their 
dress,  more  independent  in  their  general  air,  and  a  good 
deal  dirtier  than  most  of  the  people  I  had  met  with  in 
the  course  of  my  travels.  *  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
rowdyism  and  democracy  are  synonymous,  but  I  consid 
er  it  a  good  sign  of  innate  manliness  and  a  natural  spirit 
of  independence  when  men  are  not  afraid  to  dress  like 
vagabonds  and  behave  a  little  extravagantly,  if  it  suits 
their  taste.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  police 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


31 


regulations  of  St.  Petersburg,  without  being  onerous  or 
vexatious,  are  quite  as  good  as  those  of  any  large  city  in 
Europe.  When  men  are  deprived  of  their  political  liber- 
the  least  that  can  be  done  for  them  is  to  let  them 


YOUNG    PEASANTS. 

enjoy  as  much  muncipal  freedom  as  may  be  consistent 
with  public  peace,  I  should  never  have  suspected,  from 
any  thing  I  saw  in  the  city  or  neighborhood  of  St.  Peters 
burg,  that  I  was  within  the  limits  of  an  absolute  despot 
ism.  If  one  desires  to  satisfy  himself  on  this  point  he 
must  visit  the  interior. 

I  was  led  into  this  train  of  reflection  partly  by  the 


32  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

scenes  I  had  witnessed  during  my  rambles  through  tfie 
city  and  on  the  way  down  the  river,  and  partly  by  wlut 
we  now  saw  on  the  island  of  Krestofskoi.  A  bridge 

£3 

unites  this  island  with  the  Petrofskoi,  and  two  other 
bridges  with  the  islands  of  Kamennoi  and  Elaghinskoi. 
It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  yet  the  twilight  was  so 
rich  and  glowing  that  one  might  readily  read  a  newspa 
per  in  any  of  the  open  spaces.  The  main  avenues  were 
crowded  with  carriages  of  every  conceivable  description 
— the  grandly  decorated  coach  of  the  noble,  glittering 
with  armorial  bearings  and  drawn  by  four  richly-capari 
soned  horses  ;  the  barouche,  easy  and  elegant,  filled  with 
a  gay  company  of  foreigners  ;  the  drosky,  whirling  along 
at  a  rapid  pace,  with  its  solitary  occupant ;  the  kareta, 
plain,  neat,  and  substantial,  carrying  on  its  ample  seats 
some  worthy  merchant  and  his  family  ;  the  nondescript 
little  vehicle,  without  top,  bottom,  or  sides — nothing  but 
four  small  wheels  and  a  cushioned  seat  perched  on  springs, 
with  an  exquisite  perched  astride  upon  the  street,  driv 
ing  a  magnificent  blood  horse  at  the  rate  of  2.40 ;  and 
English  boxes  with  stiff  Englishmen  in  them  ;  and  French 
chaises  with  loose  Frenchmen  in  them  ;  and  a  New  York 
buggy  with  a  New  York  fancy  man  in  it ;  and  hundreds 
of  fine  horses  with  dashing  Russian  officers  in  uniform 
mounted  on  them,  and  hundreds  of  other  horses  with 
secretaries  and  various  young  sprigs  of  nobility  strug 
gling  painfully  to  stay  mounted  on  them  ;  and,  in  short, 
every  thing  grand,  fanciful,  and  entertaining  in  the  way 
of  locomotion  that  the  most  fertile  imagination  can  con 
ceive.  Don't  do  me  the  injustice,  I  pray  you,  to  consider 
me  envious  of  the  good  fortune  of  others  in  being  able 
to  ride  when  I  had  to  walk,  for  it  does  me  an  nmnxing 
deal  of  good  to  see  people  enjoy  themselves.  Nothing 
pleases  me  better  than  to  see  a  fat  old  lady,  glittering  all 
over  with  fine  silks  and  jewels,  leaning  back  in  her  cush 
ioned  carriage,  with  her  beloved  little  lapdog  in  her  arms 
— two  elegant  drivers,  four  prancing  horses,"  and  a  splen 
did  little  postillion  in  front;  two  stalwart  footmen,  in  plush 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  33 

breeches,  behind,  with  variegated  yellow  backs  like  a  pair 
of  Wasps.     Can  any  thing  be  more  picturesque  ?     It  al 
ways  makes  me  think  of  a  large  June-bug  dragged  about 
by  an  accommodating  crowd  of  fancy-colored  flies !    And 
what  can  be  more  imposing  than  a  Russian  grandee? 
See  that  terrific  old  gentleman,  sitting  all  alone  in  a  gor 
geous  carriage,  large  enough  to  carry  himself  and  half 
a  dozen  of  his  friends.     Orders  and  disorders  cover  him 
from  head  to  foot.    He  is  the  exact  picture  of  a  ferocious 
bullfrog,  with  a  tremendous  mustache  and  a  horribly  ma 
lignant  expression  of  eye,  and  naturally  enough  expects 
every  body  to  get  out  of  his  way.    That  man  must  have 
had  greatness  thrust  upon  him,  for  he  never  could  have 
achieved  it  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  intellect.     Doubtless 
he  spends  much  of  his  time  at  the  springs,  but  they  don't 
seem  to  have  purified  his  bo'dy,  or  subdued  the  natural 
ferocity  of  his  temper.     His  wife  must  have  a  pleasant 
time.    I  wonder  if  he  sleeps  well,  or  enjoys  Herzain's  es 
says  on  Russian  aristocracy  ?     But  make  way,  ye  pedes 
trian  rabble,  for  here  comes  a  secretary  of  legation  on 
horseback — make  way,  or  he  will  tumble  off  and  inflict 
some  bodily  injury  upon  you  with  the  points  of  his  wax 
ed  mustache !     I  know  he  must  be  a  secretary  of  lega 
tion  by  the  enormous  polished  boots  he  wears  over  his 
tight  breeches,  the  dandy  parting  of  his  hair,  the  super 
cilious  stupidity  of  his  countenance,  and  the  horrible  tor 
tures  he  suffers  in  trying  to  stick  on  the  back  of  his 
horse.     Nobody  else  in  the  world  could  make  such  an 
ass  of  himself  by  such  frantic  attempts  to  show  off  and 
keep  on  at  the  same  time.     I'll  bet  my  life  he  thinks  he 
is  the  most  beautiful  and  accomplished  gentleman  ever 
produced  by  a  beneficent  Creator.    Well,  it  is  a  happy 
thing  for  some  of  us  that  we  don't  see  ourselves  as  oth 
ers  see  us;  if  we  did,  my  friends  in  the  hemp  business 
and  myself  would  fare  badly.    Beregrissa  !  Padi !  Padi ! 
— have  a  care !  make  way,  for  here  comes  a  cloud  of  dust, 
and  in  that  cloud  of  dust  is  a  kibitka,  drawn  by  three 
wild  horses,  and  in  that  kibitka,  half  sitting,  half  cling- 

B  2 


;{4  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


ing  to  the  side,  is  an  official  courier.  Crack  goes  the 
whip  of  the  yamtschiek  y  the  three  fiery  horses  rly  through 
the  dust ;  the  courier  waves  his  hand  to  an  officer  on 
horseback,  and  with  a  whirl  and  a  whisk  they  disappear. 
Pashol!  I  hope  they  won't  break  their  necks  before 
they  get  through. 

Soon  the  main  road  brandies  out  in  various  directions, 
and  we  strike  off  with  the  diverging  streams  of  pedes 
trians,  families  of  the  middle  and  lower  classes,  young 
men  of  the  town,  gay  young  damsels  with  their  beaux, 
burly  tradesmen,  tinkers,  tailors,  and  hatters,  waiters  and 
apprentices,  sailors  and  soldiers,  until  we  find  ourselves 
in  the  midst  of  a  grand  old  forest.  Open  glades,  pavil 
ions,  and  tables  are  visible  at  intervals  ;  but  for  the  most 
part  we  are  in  a  labyrinthian  wilderness  of  trees,  rich  in 
foliage,  and  almost  oppressive  in  their  umbrageous  dens 
ity,  while 

"Deep  velvet  verdure  clothes  the  turf  beneath, 
And  trodden  flowers  their  richest  odors  breathe." 

Insects  flit  through  the  still  atmosphere ;  the  hum  of 
human  voices,  softened  by  distance,  falls  soothingly  upon 
the  ear ;  and  as  we  look,  and  listen,  and  loiter  on  our 
way,  we  wonder  if  this  can  be  the  dreamland  of  the  arc 
tic,  regions?  Can  there  ever  be  snow-storms  and  scath 
ing  frosts  in  such  a  land  of  tropical  luxuriance?  Thus, 
as  we  lounge  along  in  the  mellow  twilight  amid  the 
groves  of  Katrofskoi,  what  charming  pictures  of  sylvan 
enjoyment  are  revealed  to  us  at  every  turn !  Rustic  ta 
bles  under  the  great  wide-spreading  trees  are  surround 
ed  by  family  groups — old  patriarchs,  and  their  children, 
and  great-grandchildren  ;  the  steaming  urn  of  tea  in  the 
middle ;  the  old  people  chatting  and  gossiping ;  the 
young  people  laughing  merrily  ;  the  children  tumbling 
about  over  the  green  sward.  Passing  on  we  come  to  a 
group  of  Mujiks  lying  camp-fashion  on  the  grass,  eating 
their  black  bread,  drinking  their  vodka,  and  sleeping 
whenever  they  please — for  this  is  their  summer  home, 
:ui(l  this  grass  is  their  bed.  Next  we  come  to  a  group 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


DVORNICK    A^D    POSTMAN. 


of  officers,  their  rich  uniforms  glittering  in  the  soft  twi 
light,  their  horses  tied  to  the  trees,  or  held  at  a  little  dis 
tance  by  some  attendant  soldiers.  Dominoes,  cards, 
Champagne,  and  cakes  are  scattered  in  tempting  profu 
sion  upon  the  table,  and  if  they  are  not  enjoying  their 
military  career,  it  is  not  for  want  of  congenial  accompani 
ments  and  plenty  of  leisure.  A  little  farther  on  we  meet 
a  jovial  party  of  Germans  seated  under  a  tree,  with  a 
goodly  supply  of  bread  and  sausages  before  them,  sing 
ing  in  fine  accord  a  song  of  their  faderland.  Next  we 
hear  the  familiar  strains  of  an  organ,  and  soon  come  in 
sight  of  an  Italian  who  is  exhibiting  an  accomplished 
monkey  to  an  enraptured  crowd  of  children.  The  monk- 


36  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

ey  has  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  school  of  adversi 
ty,  and  makes  horrible  grimaces  at  his  cruel  and  cadaver 
ous  master,  who  in  ferocious  tones,  and  without  the  least 
appearance  of  enjoying  the  sport,  commands  this  min 
iature  man  to  dance,  fire  a  small  gun,  go  through  the 
sword  exercise,  play  on  a  small  fiddle,  smoke  a  cigar, 
turn  a  somersault,  bow  to  the  company,  and  hold  out  his 
hat  for  an  unlimited  number  of  kopecks.    Heir  Batz  sug 
gests  that  such  a  monkey  as  that  might  be  taught  to 
spin  ropes,  and  our  younger  Mechlenberger  laughs,  and 
says  he  once  read  a  story  of  a  monkey  that  shaved  a 
cat,  and  then  cut  off  his  own  or  the  cat's  tail,  he  could 
not  remember  which.     This  reminds  the  Russian  of  a 
countess  in  Moscow  who  owned  a  beautiful  little  dog,  to 
which  she  was  greatly  attached.     She  required  her  serfs 
to  call  it  "My  noble  Prince,"  and  had  them  well  flogged 
writh  the  knout  whenever  they  approached  it  without 
bowing.     One  day  a  cat  got  hold  of  the  noble  Prince, 
and  gave  him  a  good  scratching.     The  countess,  being 
unable  to  soothe  her  afflicted  poodle,  caused  the  cat's 
paws  to  be  cut  off,  and  served  up  on  a  plate  for  his  un 
happy  highness  to  play  with — after  which  the  noble  pug 
was  perfectly  satisfied !     Of  course,  we  all  laughed  at 
the  Russian's  story,  but  he  assured  us  it  was  a  well  au 
thenticated  fact,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  a  most 
delicate  Jew  d*  esprit.     Not  to  be  behindhand  in  the  line 
of  cats  and  monkeys,  I  was  obliged  to  tell  an  anecdote 
of  a  Frenchman,  who,  on  his  arrival  in  Algiers,  ordered  a 
ragout  at  one  of  the  most  fashionable  restaurants.     It 
was  duly  served  up,  and  pronounced  excellent,  though 
rather  strongly  flavored.     "Pray,"  said  the  Frenchman 
to  the  maUre  d'hotel,  "  of  what  species  of  cat  do  you 
make  ragouts  in  Algiers  ?"    "  Pardon,  monsieur,"  replied 
the  polite  host,  "  we  use  nothing  but  monkeys  in  Africa !" 
Disgusted  at  this  colonial  barbarism,  the  Frenchman  im 
mediately  returned  to  Paris,  where  he  remained  forever 
after,  that  he  might  enjoy  his  customary  and  more  civil 
ized  dish  of  cat.     Herr  Batz  had  not  before  heard  of 


38  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

such  a  thing,  neither  had  the  young  Mechlenberger,  and 
they  both  agreed  that  cats  must  be  a  very  disgusting 
article  of  food.  The  Russian,  however,  seemed  to  regard 
it  as  nothing  uncommon,  and  gave  us  some  very  enter 
taining  accounts  of  various  curious  dishes  in  the  interior 
of  Russia,  to  which  cats  were  not  a  circumstance. 

With  such  flimsy  conversation  as  this  we  entertain 
ourselves  till  we  reach  a  village  of  summer  residences  on 
the  Kamennoi  Island.  Here  we  pause  a  while  to  enjoy 
the  varied  scenes  of  amusement  that  tempt  the  loiterer 
at  every  step .;  the  tea-drinking  parties  out  on  the  porti 
coes,  the  gambling  saloons,  the  dancing  pavilions,  the 
cafes,  the  confectioneries,  with  their  gay  throngs  of  cus 
tomers,  their  gaudy  colors,  their  music,  and  sounds  of  joy 
and  revelry.  A  little  farther  on  we  come  to  a  stand  of 
carriages,  and  near  by  a  gate  and  a  large  garden^  For 
thirty  kopecks  apiece  we  procure  tickets  of  admission. 
This  is  the  Vauxhall  of  Kamennoi.  We  jostle  in  with  the 
crowd,  and  soon  find  ourselves  in  front  of  an  open  theatre. 

So  passes  away  the  time  till  the  whistle  of  a  little 
steamer  warns  us  of  an  opportunity  to  get  back  to  the 
city.  Hurrying  down  to  the  wharf,  we  secure  places  on 
the  stern-sheets  of  a  screw-wheeled  craft  not  much  big 
ger  than  a  good-sized  yawl.  It  is  crowded  to  overflow 
ing — in  front,  on  top  of  the  machinery,  in  the  rear,  over 
the  sides — not  a  square  inch  of  space  left  for  man  or 
beast.  The  whistle  blows  again  ;  the  fiery  little  monster 
of  an  engine  shivers  and  screams  with  excess  of  steam; 
the  grim,  black-looking  engineer  gives  the  irons  a  pull, 
and  away  we  go  at  a  rate  of  speed  that  threatens  mo 
mentary  destruction  against  some  bridge  or  bath-house. 
It  is  now  two  o'clock  A. 31.  The  rays  of  the  rising  sun 
are  already  reflected  upon  the  .glowing  waters  of  the 
Neva.  Barges  and  row-boats  are  hurrying  toward  the 
city.  Carriages  are  rolling  along  the  shady  avenues  of 
the  islands.  Crowds  are  gathered  at  every  pier  and  land 
ing-place  awaiting  some  conveyance  homeward.  Ladies 
are  waving  their  liandkon-lm-fs  to  the  little  steamer  to 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.^  39 

stop,  and  gentlemen  are  flourishing  their  hats.  The  cap 
tain  blows  the  whistle,  and  the  engineer  stops  the  boat 
with  such  a  sudden  reversion  of  our  screw  that  we  are 
pitched  forward  out  of  the  seats.  Some  of  the  passen 
gers  clamber  up  at  the  landing-places,  and  others  clamber 
down  and  take  their  places.  The  little  engine  sets  up 
its  terrific  scream  again  ;  the  hot  steam  hisses  and  fizzes 
all  over  the  boat ;  involuntary  thoughts  of  maimed  limbs 
and  scalded  skins  are  palpably  impressed  upon  every 
face ;  but  the  little  steamer  keeps  on — she  is  used  to  it, 
like  the  eels,  and  never  bursts  up.  Winding  through 
the  varied  channels  of  the  Neva,  under  bridges,  through 
narrow  passes,  among  wood-boats,  vow-boats,  and  ship 
ping,  we  at  length  reach  the  landing  on  the  Russian 
Quay,  above  the  Admiralty.  Here  we  disembark,  well 
satisfied  to  be  safely  over  all  the  enjoyments  and  hazards 
of  the  evening. 

Evening,  did  I  say  ?  The  morning  sun  is  blazing  out 
in  all  his  glory !  We  have  had  no  evening — no  night. 
It  has  been  all  a  wild,  strange,  glowing  freak  of  fancy. 
The  light  of  day  has  been  upon  us  all  the  time.  And 
now,  should  we  go  to  bed,  when  the  sun  is  shining  over 
the  city,  glistening  upon  the  domes  of  the  churches,  il 
luminating  the  windows  of  the  palaces,  awaking  the 
drowsy  sailors  of  the  Neva?  Shall  we  hide  ourselves 
away  in  suffocating  rooms  when  the  morning  breeze  is 
floating  in  from  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  bearing  upon  its 
wings  the  invigorating  brine  of  ocean,  or  shall  we, 

"Pleased  to  feel  the  air, 
Still  wander  in  the  luxury  of  light  ?" 


CHAPTER  III. 

VIEWS    OX   THE   MOSCOW  RAILWAY. 

THE  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow  Railroad  has  been  in 
operation  some  eight  or  ten  years,  and  has  contributed 
much  to  the  internal  prosperity  of  the  country.  In  the 


40  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

summer  of  1862  it  was  extended  as  far  as  Vladimir,  and 
now  connects  St.  Petersburg  with  Nijni  Novgorod,  one 
of  the  most  important  points  in  the  empire,  where  the 
great  annual  fair  is  held,  where  tea-merchants  and  oth 
ers  from  all  parts  of  Tartary  and  China  meet  to  ex 
change  the  products  of  those  countries  with  those  of  the 
merchants  of  Russia.  During  the  present  year  (1862) 
it  is  expected  that  the  line  of  railway  connection  will  be 
completed  from  St.  Petersburg  to  the  Prussian  frontier, 
and  connect  with  the  railroads  of  Prussia,  so  that  within 
twelve  months  it  will  be  practicable  to  travel  by  rail  all 
the  way  from  Marseilles  or  Bordeaux  to  Nijni  Nov 
gorod. 

The  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg  Railway  is  something 
over  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  consists  of  a  dou 
ble  track,  broad,  well  graded,  and  substantially  construct 
ed.  The  whole  business  of  running  the  line,  keeping  the 
cars  and  track  in  repair,  working  the  machine-shops,  etc., 
embracing  all  the  practical  details  of  the  operative  de 
partment,  is  let  out  by  contract  to  an  American  compa 
ny,  while  the  government  supervises  the  financial  de 
partment,  and  reserves  to  itself  the  municipal  control.* 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  characteristic  of  the  Russians, 
that  while  they  possess  uncommon  capacity  to  acquire 
all  the  details  of  engineering,  and  are  by  no  means  lack 
ing  in  mechanical  skill,  they  are  utterly  deficient  in  man 
agement  and  administrative  capacity.  Wasteful,  im 
provident,  and  short-sighted,  they  can  never  do  any  thing 
without  the  aid  of  more  sagacious  and  economical  heads 
to  keep  them  within  the  bounds  of  reason.  Thus,  at  one 
time,  when  they  undertook  to  run  this  line  on  their  own 
account,  although  they  started  with  an  extraordinary 
surplus  of  material,  they  soon  ran  the  cars  off  their 
wheels,  forgetting  to  keep  up  a  supply  of  new  ones  as 
they  went  along;  ran  the  engines  out  of  working  order; 
kept  nothing  in  repair;  provided  against  no  contingen 
cy  ;  and  were  finally  likely  to  break  down  entirely,  when 
*  This  contract  terminated  last  year  (18C5). 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  41 

they  determined  that  it  would  be  better  to  give  this 
branch  of  the  business  out  by  contract.  One  great  fault 
with  them  is,  they  labor  under  an  idea  that  nothing  can 
be  done  without  an  extraordinary  number  of  officers, 
soldiers,  policemen,  and  employes  of  every  description — 
upon  the  principle,  I  suppose,  that  if  two  heads  are  bet 
ter  than  one,  the  ignorance  or  inefficiency  of  a  small 
number  of  employes  can  be  remedied  by  having  a  very 
great  number  of  the  same  kind.  In  other  words,  they 
seem  to  think  that  if  five  hundred  men  can  not  be  indus 
trious,  skillful,  and  economical,  five  thousand  trained  in 
exactly  the  same  schools,  and  with  precisely  the  same 
propensities,  must  be  ten  times  better.  Even  now  there 
is  not  a  station,  and  scarcely  a  foot  of  the  railway  from 
St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow,  that  is  not  infested  with  an 
extraordinary  surplus  of  useless  men  in  uniform.  At 
the  great  depots  in  each  of  these  cities  the  traveler  is 
fairly  confused  with  the  crowds  of  officers  and  employes 
through  which  he  is  obliged  to  make  his  way.  Before 
he  enters  the  doorways,  liveried  porters  outside  offer  to 
take  his  baggage ;  then  he  passes  by  guards,  who  look 
at  him  carefully  and  let  him  go  in ;  then  he  finds  guards 
who  show  him  where  to  find  the  ticket-office ;  when  he 
arrives  at  the  ticket-office,  he  finds  a  guard  or  two  out 
side,  and  half  a  dozen  clerks  inside ;  then  he  buys  his 
ticket,  and  an  officer  examines  it  as  he  goes  into  the 
wirthsaal ;  there  he  finds  other  officers  stationed  to  pre 
serve  order;  when  the  bell  rings  the  doors  are  opened  ; 
numerous  officers  outside  show  him  where  to  find  the 
cars,  and  which  car  he  must  get  into;  and  when  he  gets 
into  a  car.he  sits  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  sees  offi 
cers  going  up  and  down  outside  all  the  time,  and  thinks 
to  himself  that  people  certainly  can  not  be  supposed  to 
have  very  good  eyes,  ears,  or  understanding  of  their  own 
in  this  country,  since  nobody  is  deemed  capable  of  using 
them  on  his  individual  responsibility.  I  only  wonder 
that  they  don't  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  travel  for  a  man  at 
once  by  proxy,  and  thereby  save  him  the  trouble  of  liv- 


42  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ing  or  moving  at  all.  In  fact,  I  had  some  thought  of 
asking  one  of  these  licensed  gentlemen  if  the  regulations 
could  not  be  stretched  a  point  so  as  to  embrace  the  pay 
ment  of  my  expenses ;  but  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  I  were 
relieved  of  that  responsibility,  they  might  undertake  at 
the  same  time  to  write  these  letters  for  me,  which  would 
be  likely  to  alter  the  tone  and  thereby  destroy  my  indi 
viduality.  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  good  order, 
convenience,  politeness,  and  comfort  are  the  predom 
inant  characteristics  of  railway  travel  in  Russia.  The 
conductors  usually  speak  French,  German,  and  English, 
and  are  exceedingly  attentive  to  the  comfort  -of  the  pas 
sengers.  The  hours  of  starting  and  stopping  are  punc 
tually  observed — so  punctually  that  you  can  calculate  to 
the  exact  minute  when  you  will  arrive  at  any  given 
point.  Having  no  watch,  I  always  knew  the  time  by 
looking  at  my  ticket.  Between  St.  Petersburg  and 
Moscow  there  are  thirty-three  stations,  seven  of  which 
are  the  grand  stations  of  Lubanskaia,  Malovischerskaia, 
Okoulourskaia,  Bologovskaia,  Spirovskaia,  Tver,  and 
Klinskaia.  The  rest  are  small  intermediate  stations. 
At  every  seventy-five  versts — about  fifty  miles — the  cars 
stop  twenty  minutes,  and  refreshments  may  be  had  by 
paying  a  pretty  heavy  price  for  them.  At  the  points 
above-named  there  are  large  and  substantial  edifices 
built  by  the  company,  containing  various  offices,  spa 
cious  eating-saloons,  ante-chambers,  etc.,  and  attached  to 
which  are  extensive  machine-shops,  and  various  out 
buildings  required  by  the  service.  Occasionally  towns 
may  be  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  these  stations,  but  for  the 
most  part  they  stand  out  desolate  and  alone  in  the 
dreary  waste  of  country  lying  between  the  two  great 
cities.  At  every  twenty -five  versts  are  sub -stations, 
where  the  cars  stop  for  a  few  minutes.  These  are  also 
large  and  very  substantial  edifices,  but  not  distinguished 
for  architectural  beauty,  like  many  of  the  stations  in 
France  and  Germany.  Usually  the  Russian  station  con 
sists  of  an  immense  plain  circular  building,  constructed 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  43 

of  brick,  with  very  thick  walls,  and  a  plain  zinc  roof,  the 
outside  painted  red,  the  roof  green ;  wings  or  flanges 
built  of  the  same  material  extending  along  the  track ;  a 
broad  wooden  esplanade  in  front,  upon  which  the  pas 
sengers  can  amuse  themselves  promenading,  and  a  neat 
garden,  with  other  accommodations,  at  one  end.  Some 
of  the  large  stations  are  not  only  massive  and  of  enor 
mous  extent,  but  present  rather  a  striking  and  pictur 
esque  appearance  as  they  are  approached  from  the  dis 
tance,  standing  as  they  do  in  the  great  deserts  of  space 
like  solitary  sentinels  of  civilization.  The  passengers 
rush  out  at  every  stopping-place  just  as  they  do  in  oth 
er  parts  of  the  world,  some  to  stretch  their  limbs,  others 
to  replenish  the  waste  that  seems  to  be  constantly  going 
on  in  the  stomachs  of  the  traveling  public.  I  don't 
know  how  it  is,  but  it  appears  to  me  that  people  who 
travel  by  railway  are  always  either  tired,  thirsty,  or 
hungry.  The  voracity  with  which  plates  of  soup,  cut 
lets,  sandwiches,  salad,  scalding  hot  tea,  wine,  beer,  and 
brandy  are  swallowed  down  by  these  hungry  and  thirsty 
Russians,  is  quite  as  striking  as  any  thing  I  ever  saw 
done  in  the  same  line  at  Washoe.  But  it  is  not  a  feat 
ure  confined  to  Russia.  I  notice  the  same  thing*  every 
where  all  over  the  world ;  and  what  vexes  me  about  it 
is  that  I  never  get  tired  myself,  and  rarely  hungry  or 
thirsty.  Here,  in  midsummer,  with  a  sweltering  hot  sun, 
and  an  atmosphere  that  would  almost  smother  a  sala 
mander,  were  whole  legions  of  officers,  elegantly-dressed 
ladies,  and  a  rabble  of  miscellaneous  second  and  third 
class  passengers  like  myself,  puffing,  blowing,  eating, 
drinking,  sweating,  and  toiling,  as  if  their  very  existence 
depended  upon  keeping  up  the  internal  fires  and  blow 
ing  them  off  again.  It  is  dreadful  to  see  people  so  hard 
pushed  to  live.  I  really  can't  conjecture  what  sort  of 
a  commotion  they  will  make  when  they  come  to  die.  A 
sandwich  or  two  and  a  glass  of  tea  lasted  me  all  the  way 
to  Moscow — a  journey  of  eighteen  hours,  and  I  never 
suffered  from  hunger,  thirst,  or  fatigue  the  whole  way. 


44  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

If  I  had  "  gone  in"  like  other  people,  I  would  certainly 
have  been  a  dead  man  before  I  got  half  way  ;  and  yet,  I 
think,  two  sandwiches  more  would  have  lasted  me  to  the 
Ural  Mountains.  It  continually  bothers  me  to  know 
how  the  human  stomach  can  bear  to  be  tormented  in 
this  frightful  way.  Per  Baccho !  I  would  as  soon  be 
shot  in  the  hand  with  an  escopette  ball  as  drink  the  quan 
tity  of  wine  and  eat  the  quantity  of  food  that  I  have 
seen  even  women  and  children  dispose  of,  as  if  it  were 
mere  pastime,  on  these  railway  journeys.  I  think  it 
must  be  either  this  or  the  frost  that  accounts  for  the  ex 
traordinary  prevalence  of  red  noses  in  Russia,  and  it 
even  occurred  to  me  that  the  stations  are  painted  a  fiery 
red,  so  that  when  travelers  come  within  range  of  the 
refracted  color  their  noses  may  look  pale  by  contrast, 
and  thereby  remind  them  that  it  is  time  to  renew  the 
caloric. 

With  the  exception  of  the  seventy-five  versts  between 
Moscow  and  Tver,  I  can  not  remember  that  1  ever  travel 
ed  over  so  desolate  and  uninteresting  a  stretch  of  country 
as  that  lying  between  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow.  For 
n,  short  distance  out  of  St.  Petersburg  there  are  some  few 
villas  and  farms  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the  gloomy 
pine  forests ;  then  the  country  opens  out  into  immense 
undulating  plains,  marshy  meadows,  scrubby  groves  of 
young  pine,  without  any  apparent  limit ;  here  and  there 
a  bleak  and  solitary  village  of  log  huts;  a  herd  of  cattle 
in  the  meadows ;  a  wretched,  sterile-looking  farm,  with 
plowed  fields,  at  remote  intervals,  and  so  on  hour  after 
hour,  the  scene  offering  but  little  variety  the  whole  way 
to  Tver.  The  villages  are  wholly  destitute  of  pictur 
esque  effect.  Such  rude  and  miserable  hovels  as  they 
are  composed  of  could  scarcely  be  found  in  the  wildest 
frontier  region  of  the  United  States.  These  cabins  or 
hovels  are  built  of  logs,  and  are  very  low  and  small,  gen 
erally  consisting  of  only  one  or  two  rooms.  I  saw  none 
that  were  whitewashed  or  painted,  and  nothing  like  or 
der  or  regularity  was  perceptible  about  them,  all  seem- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  45 

ing  to  be  huddled  together  as  if  they  happened  there  by 
accident,  and  were  obliged  to  keep  at  close  quarters  in 
order  to  avoid  freezing  during  the  terrible  winters. 
Some  of  them  are  not  unlike  the  city  of  Eden  in  Martin 
Chuzzlewit.  The  entire  absence  of  every  thing  approach 
ing  taste,  comfort,  or  rural  beauty  in  the  appearance  of 
these  villages ;  the  weird  and  desolate  aspect  of  the  bog 
gy  and  grass-grown  streets ;  the  utter  want  of  interest 
in  progress  or  improvement  on  the  part  of  the  peasantry 
who  inhabit  them,  are  well  calculated  to  produce  a  mel 
ancholy  impression  of  the  condition  of  these  poor  people. 
How  can  it  be  otherwise,  held  in  bondage  as  they  have 
been  for  centuries,  subject  to  be  taxed  at  the  discretion 
of  their  owners;  the  results  of  their  labors  wrested  from 
them ;  no  advance  made  by  the  most  enterprising  and 
intelligent  of  them  without  in  some  way  subjecting  them 
to  new  burdens  ?  Whatever  may  be  the  result  of  the 
movement  now  made  for  their  emancipation,  it  certainly 
can  not  be  m6re  depressing  than  the  existing  system  of 
serfage.  Looking  back  over  the  scenes  of  village  life  I 
had  witnessed  in  France  and  Germany — the  neat  vine- 
covered  cottages,  the  little  flower-gardens,  the  orchards 
and  green  lanes,  the  festive  days,  when  the  air  resound 
ed  to  the  merry  voices  of  laughing  damsels  and  village 
beaux — 

"  The  hawthorn  bush,  with  seats  beneath  the  shade, 
For  talking  age  and  whispering  lovers  made" — 

the  joyous  dancers  out  on  the  village  green,  the  flaunting 
banners  and  wreaths  of  flowers  hung  in  rich  profusion 
over  the  cross-roads — with  such  scenes  as  these  flitting 
through  my  memory,  I  could  well  understand  that  there 
is  an  absolute  physical  servitude  to  which  men  can  be 
reduced,  that,  in  the  progress  of  generations,  must  crush 
down  the  human  soul,  and  make  life  indeed  a  dreary 
struggle.  In  the  splendor  of  large  cities,"  amid  the  glit 
ter  and  magnificence  of  palaces  and  churches,  the  varied 
paraphernalia  of  aristocracy  and  wealth,  and  all  the  ex 
citements,  allurements,  and  novelties  apparent  to  the  su- 


46 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


perficial  eye,  the  real  condition  of  the  masses  is  not  per 
ceptible.  They  must  be  seen  in  the  country — in  their 
far-off  villages  and  homes  throughout  the  broad  land ; 
there  you  find  no  disguise  to  cover  the  horrible  deformi 
ties  of  their  bruised  and  crushed  life ;  there  you  see  the 
full  measure  of  their  civilization.  In  the  huts  of  these 
poor  people  there  is  little  or  no  comfort.  Many  of  them 
have  neither  beds  nor  chairs,  and  the  occupants  spend  a 
sort  of  camp  life  within  doors,  cooking  their  food  like 
Indians,  and  huddling  round  the  earthern  stove  or  fire 
place  in  winter,  where  they  lie  do\vn  on  the  bare  ground 
and  sleep  in  a  mass,  like  a  nest  of  animals,  to  keep  each 
other  warm.  Their  clothing  is  of  the  coarsest  material, 
but  reasonably  good,  and  well  suited  to  the  climate.  The 
men  are  a  much  finer-looking  race,  physically,  than  their 


HAT   OATHK11F.RR. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  47 

masters.  I  saw  some  serfs  in  Moscow  who,  in  stature, 
strong  athletic  forms,  and  bold  and  manly  features,  would 
compare  favorably  with  the  best  specimens  of  men  in  any 
country.  It  was  almost  incredible  that  such  noble-look 
ing  fellows,  with  their  blue,  piercing  eyes  and  manly  air, 
should  be  reduced  to  such  a  state  of  abject  servitude  as 
to  kiss  the  tails  of  their  master's  coats  !  Many  of  them 
had  features  as  bold  and  forms  as  brawny  as  our  own 
California  miners ;  and  more  than  once,  when  I  saw  them 
lounging  about  in  their  big  boots,  with  their  easy,  reck 
less  air,  and  looked  at  their  weather-beaten  faces  and 
vigorous,  sun-burnt  beards,  I  could  almost  imagine  that 
they  were  genuine  Californians.  But  here  the  resem 
blance  ceased.  No  sooner  did  an  officer  of  high  stand 
ing  pass,  than  they  manifested  some  abject  sign  of  their 
degraded  condition. 

Some  of  the  agricultural  implements  that  one  sees  in 
this  country  would  astonish  a  Californian.  The  plows 
are  patterned  very  much  after  those  that  were  used  by 
Boaz  and  other  large  farmers  in  the  days  of  the  Patri 
archs  ;  the  scythes  are  the  exact  originals  of  the  old  pic 
tures  in  which  Death  is  represented  as  mowing  down 
mankind ;  the  hoes,  rakes,  and  shovels  would  be  an  orna 
ment  to  any  museum,  but  are  entirely  indescribable ;  and 
as  for  the  wagons  and  harnesses — herein  lies  the  superior 
genius  of  the  Russians  over  all  the  races  of  earth,  ancient 
or  modern,  for  never  were  such  wagons  and  such  har 
nesses  seen  on  any  other  part  of  the  globe.  To  be  ac 
curate  and  methodical,  each  wagon  has  four  wheels,  and 
each  wheel  is  roughly  put  together  of  rough  wood,  and 
then  roughly  bound  up  in  an  iron  band  about  four  inches 
wide,  and  thick  in  proportion.  Logs  of  wood,  skillfully 
hewed  with  broad-axes,  answer  for  the  axle-tree ;  and  as 
they  don't  weigh  over  half  a  ton  each,  they  are  some 
times  braced  in  the  middle  to  keep  them  from  breaking. 
Upon  the  top  of  this  is  a  big  basket,  about  the  shape  of 
a  bath-tub,  in  which  the  load  is  carried.  Sometimes  the 
body  is  made  of  planks  tied  together  with  bullock's  hide, 


48  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

or  no  body  at  all  is  used,  as  convenience  may  require. 
The  wagon  being  thus  completed,  braced  and  thorough- 
braced  with  old  ropes,  iron  bands,  and  leather  straps,  we 
come  to  the  horses,  which  stand  generally  in  front.  The 
middle  horse  is  favored  with  a  pair  of  shafts  of  enormous 
durability  and  strength.  He  stands  between  these  shafts, 
and  is  fastened  in  them  by  means  of  ropes ;  but,  to  pre 
vent  him  from  jumping  out  overhead,  a  wooden  arch  is 
out  over  him,  which  is  the  chef-d'oeuvre  of  ornamenta 
tion.  This  is  called  the  duga>  and  is  the  most  prominent 
object  to  be  seen  about  every  wagon,  drosky,  and  kibit- 
ka  in  Russia.  I  am  not  sure  but  a  species  of  veneration 
is  attached  to  it.  Often  it  is  highly  decorated  with  gild 
ing,  painted  figures,  and  every  vagary  of  artistic  genius, 
and  must  cost  nearly  as  much  as  the  entire  wagon. 
Some  of  the  dugas  even  carry  saintly  images  upon  them, 
so  that  the  devout  driver  may  perform  his  devotions  as 
he  drives  through  life.  To  suppose  that  a  horse  could 
pull  a  wagon  in  Russia  without  this  wooden  arch,  the 
utility  of  which  no  human  eye  but  that  of  a  Russian  can 
see,  is  to  suppose  an  impossibility.  Now,  the  shafts  be 
ing  spread  out  so  as  to  give  the  horse  plenty  of  room  at 
each  side,  it  becomes  necessary,  since  they  are  rather 
loosely  hung  on  at  the  but-ends,  to  keep  them  from 
swaying.  How  do  you  think  this  is  done  ?  Nothing 
easier.  By  running  a  rope  from  the  end  of  each  shaft  to 
the  projecting  end  of  the  fore  axle,  outside  of  the  wheels. 
For  this  purpose  the  axle  is  made  to  project  a  foot  be 
yond  the  wheels,  and  the  only  trouble  about  it  is  that 
two  wagons  on  a  narrow  road  often  find  it  difficult  to 
pass.  It  is  very  curious  to  see  these  primitive-looking 
objects  lumbering  about  through  the  streets  of  Moscow 
and  St.  Petersburg.  The  horses  are  most  commonly 
placed  three  abreast.  In  the  ordinary  kibitka  or  travel 
ing  wagon  the  outside  horses  are  merely  fastened  by 
ropes,  and  strike  out  in  any  direction  they  please,  the 
whip  and  a  small  rein  serving  to  keep  them  within  bounds. 
It  is  perfectly  astonishing  with  what  reckless  and  head- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  49 

long  speed  these  animals  dash  over  the  rough  pavements. 
Just  imagine  the  luxury  of  a  warm  day's  journey  in  such 
a  vehicle,  which  has  neither  springs  nor  backed  seats — 
three  fiery  horses  fastened  to  it,  and  each  pulling,  plung 
ing,  and  pirouetting  on  his  own  account ;  a  ferocious 
yamtschick  cracking  his  whip  and  shrieking  "  Shivar ! 
shivar!" — faster!  faster! — the  wagon  rattling  all  over, 
plunging  into  ruts,  jumping  over  stones,  ripping  its  way 
through  bogs  and  mud-banks ;  your  bones  shaken  nearly 
out  of  their  sockets;  your  vertebra  partially  dislocated  ; 
your  mouth  filled  with  dust ;  your  tongue  swollen  and 
parched  ;  your  eyes  blinded  with  grit ;  your  yamtschick 
reeling  drunk  with  vodka,  and  bound  to  draw  to  the  des 
tined  station — or  some  worse  place ;  your  confidence  in 
men  and  horses  shaken  with  your  bones ;  your  views  of 
the  future  circumscribed  by  every  turn  of  the  road — oh ! 
it  is  charming ;  it  is  the  very  climax  of  human  enjoyment. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  travel  in  Russia  ? 

In  addition  to  the  villages  which  are  scattered  at  fre 
quent  intervals  along  the  route,  the  gilded  dome  of  a 
church  is  occasionally  seen  in  the  distance,  indicating  the 
existence  of  a  town;  but  one  seldom  catches  more  flhan 
a  glimpse  of  the  green-covered  roofs  of  the  houses,  over 
the  interminable  patches  of  scrubby  pine.  It  is  not  a 
country  that  presents  such  attractive  features  as  to  in 
duce  the  mere  tourist  to  get  out  and  spend  a  few  days 
rambling  through  it.  In  these  dreary  solitudes  of  marsh 
es  and  pines,  the  inhabitants  speak  no  other  language 
than  their  own,  and  that  not  very  well;  but  well  or  ill, 
it  is  all  Greek — or  rather  Russian — to  the  majority  of 
people  from  other  countries. 

But,  as  I  said  before,  this  habit  of  digression  will  be 
the  death  of  me.  Like  a  rocket,  I  start  off  splendidly, 
but  explode  and  fall  to  pieces  in  every  direction  before  I 
get  half  way  on  my  journey.  If  the  scintillations  are 
varied  and  gayly  colored,  to  be  sure,  the  powder  is  not 
utterly  lost ;  but  the  trouble  of  it  is,  if  one  keeps  going 
off  like  rockets  all  the  time,  he  will  never  get  any  where, 

C 


50  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

and  in  the  end  will  leave  nothing  but  smoke  and  dark 
ness  to  the  gaping  multitude. 

If  my  memory  serves  me,  I  was  talking  of  the  Em 
peror  Alexander's  convoy  of  private  railway  carriages — 
the  most  magnificent  affair  of  the  kind,  perhaps,  in  exist 
ence.  It  was  made  purposely  for  his  use,  at  a  cost  of 
more  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  presented  to 
him  by  the  American  company,  Winans  and  Company. 
Nothing  so  magnificent  in  decoration,  and  so  admirably 
adapted  to  the  convenience,  comfort,  and  enjoyment  of  a 
royal  party  has  ever  been  seen  in  Europe.  The  main 
carriage — for  there  are  several  in  the  suite — called, par 
excellence,  the  emperor's  own,  is  eighty-five  feet  long, 
and  something  over  the  usual  width.  It  rests  upon  two 
undivided  sleepers  of  such  elastic  and  well-grained  wood 
that  they  would  bear  the  entire  weight  of  the  carriage, 
without  the  necessity  of  a  support  in  the  middle,  form 
ing  a  single  stretch  or  arch,  from  axle  to  axle,  of  about 
seventy  feet.  The  springs,  wheels,  brakes,  and  various 
kinds  of  iron-work,  are  of  the  finest  and  most  select  ma- 
teml,  and  highly  finished  in  every  detail,  combining 
stmigth  and  durability  with  artistic  beauty.  The  inte 
rior  of  the  main  or  imperial  carriage  is  a  masterpiece  of 
sumptuous  ornamentation.  Here  are  the  richest  of  carv 
ings;  the  most  gorgeous  hangings  of  embroidered  vel 
vet  ;  mirrors  and  pictures  in  profusion  ;  carpets  and  rugs 
that  seem  coaxing  the  feet  to  linger  upon  them;  tables, 
cushioned  sofas,  and  luxurious  arm-chairs ;  divans  and 
lounges  of  rare  designs,  covered  with  the  richest  dam 
ask  ;  exquisite  Pompeian  vases  and  brilliant  chandeliers 
— all,  in  short,  that  ingenuity  could  devise  and  wealth 
procure  to  charm  the  senses,  and  render  this  a  traveling 
palace  worthy  the  imperial  presence.  Connected  with 
the  main  saloon  is  the  royal  bedchamber,  with  adjoining 
bathing  and  dressing  rooms,  equally  sumptuous  in  all 
their  appointments.  Besides  which,  there  are  smoking- 
rooms,  private  offices,  magnificent  chambers  for  the  cam 
arilla,  the  secretaries,  and  body-guard  of  tho  omperor. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  51 

The  whole  is  admirably  arranged  for  convenience  and 
comfort ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  motion,  when  the  convoy 
is  under  way,  is  so  soft  and  dreamy  that  it  is  scarcely 
possible  to  feel  a  vibration,  the  effect  being  as  if  the  cars 
were  floating  through  the  air,  or  drawn  over  tracks  of 
down.  Fully  equal  to  this,  yet  more  subdued  and  deli 
cate  in  the  drapery  and  coloring,  are  the  apartments  of 
the  empress.  Here  it  may  truly  be  said  is  "  the  poetry 
of  motion"  realized — saloons  fit  for  the  angels  that  flit 
through  them,  of  whom  the  chiefest  ornament  is  the  em 
press  herself — the  beautiful  and  beloved  Maria  Alexan- 
drina,  the  charm  of  whose  presence  is  felt  like  a  pleasant 
glow  of  sunshine  wherever  she  goes.  Here  are  drawing- 
rooms,  boudoirs,  apartments  for  the  beautiful  maids  of 
honor,  reading-rooms,  and  even  a  dancing-saloon,  from 
which  it  may  well  be  inferred  that  the  royal  party  enjoy 
themselves.  If  the  emperor  fails  to  make  himself  agree 
able  in  this  branch  of  his  establishment,  he  deserves  to 
be  put  out  at  the  very  first  station.  But  he  has  the 
ladies  at  a  disadvantage,  which  probably  compels  them 
to  be  very  tolerant  of  his  behavior ;  that  is  to  say,  he  can 
detach  their  branch  of  the  establishment  from  his  own, 
and  leave  them  on  the  road  at  any  time  he  pleases  by 
pulling  a  string;  but  I  believe  there  is  no  instance  yet 
on  record  of  his  having  availed  himself  of  this  autocratic 
privilege.  It  is  usually  understood  at  the  start  whether 
the  excursion  is  to  be  in  partnership  or  alone.  When 
the  emperor  goes  out  on  a  hunting  expedition,  he  is  ac 
companied  by  a  select  company  of  gentlemen,  and  of 
course  is  compelled  to  deprive  himself  of  the  pleasure 
of  the  more  attractive  and  intoxicating  society  of  ladies, 
which  would  be  calculated  to  unsteady  his  nerves,  and 
render  him  unfit  for  those  terrific  encounters  with  the 
bears  of  the  forest  upon  which  his  fame  as  a  hunter  is 
chiefly  founded. 


52  THE  LAND  OF  TI1OK. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MOSCOW. 

WHAT  the  great  Napoleon  thought  when  he  gazed  for 
the  first  time  across  the  broad  valley  that  lay  at  his  feet, 
and  caught  the  first  dazzling  light  that  flashed  from  the 
walls  and  golden  cupolas  of  the  Kremlin — whether  some 
shadowy  sense  of  the  wondrous  beauties  of  the  scene 
did  not  enter  his  soul — is  more  than  I  can  say  with  cer 
tainty  ;  but  this  much  I  know,  that  neither  he  nor  his 
legions  could  have  enjoyed  the  view  from  Sparrow  Hill 
more  than  I  did  the  first  glimpse  of  the  grand  old  city 
of  the  Czars  as  I  stepped  from  the  railroad  depot,  with 
my  knapsack  on  my  back,  and  stood,  a  solitary  and  be 
wildered  waif,  uncertain  if  it  could  all  be  real ;  for  never 
yet  had  I,  in  the  experience  of  many  years'  travel,  seen 
such  a  magnificent  sight,  so  wildly  Tartaric,  so  strange, 
glowing,  and  incomprehensible.  This  was  Moscow  at 
last — the  Moscow  I  had  read  of  when  a  child — the  Mos 
cow  I  had  so  often  seen  burnt  up  in  panoramas  by  an 
excited  and  patriotic  populace — the  Moscow  ever  flashing 
through  memory  in  fitful  gleams,  half  buried  in  smoke, 
and  flames,  and  toppling  ruins,  now  absolutely  before 
me,  a  gorgeous  reality  in  the  bright  noonday  sun,  with 
its  countless  churches,  its  domes  and  cupolas,  and  mighty 
Kremlin. 

Stand  with  me,  reader,  on  the  first  eminence,  and  let 
us  take  a  Bird's-eye  view  of  the  city,  always  keeping  in 
mind  that  the  Kremlin  is  the  great  nucleus  from  which 
it  all  radiates.  What  a  vast,  wavy  ocean  of  golden  cu 
polas  and  fancy-colored  domes,  green-roofed  houses  and 
tortuous  streets  circle  around  this  magic  pile !  what  a 
combination  of  wild,  barbaric  splendors!  nothing  within 
the  sweep  of  vision  that  is  not  glowing  and  Oriental. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  53 

Never  was  a  city  so  fashioned  for  scenic  effects.  From 
the  banks  of  the  Moskwa  the  Kremlin  rears  its  glittering 
crest,  surrounded  by  green-capped  towers  and  frown 
ing  embattlements,  its  umbrageous  gardens  and  mass- 
'  ive  white  walls  conspicuous  over  the  vast  sea  of  green- 
roofed  houses,  while  high  above  all,  grand  and  stern, 
like  some  grim  old  Czar  of  the  North,  rises  the  magnifi 
cent  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki.  Within  these  walls  stand 
the  chief  glories  of  Moscow — the  palaces  of  the  Em 
peror,  the  Cathedral  of  the  Assumption,  the  House  of 
the  Holy  Synod,  the  Treasury,  the  Arsenal,  and  the  Czar 
Kolokol,  the  great  king  of  bells.  All  these  gorgeous 
edifices,  and  many  more,  crown  the  eminence  which 
forms  the  sacred  grounds,  clustering  in  a  magic  maze 
of  beauty  around  the  tower  of  Ivan  the  Terrible.  Be 
yond  the  walls  are  numerous  open  spaces  occupied  by 
booths  and  markets ;  then  come  the  principal  streets  and 
buildings  of  the  city,  encircled  by  the  inner  boulevards ; 
then  the  suburbs,  around  which  wind  the  outer  boule 
vards;  then  a  vast  tract  of  beautiful  and  undulating 
country,  dotted  with  villas,  lakes,  convents,  and  public 
buildings,  inclosed  in  the  far  distance  by  the  great  outer 
wall,  which  forms  a  circuit  of  twenty  miles  around  the 
city.  The  Moskwa  River  enters  near  the  Presnerski 
Lake,  and,  taking  a  circuitous  route,  washes  the  base  of 
the  Kremlin,  and  passes  out  near  the  convent  of  St. 
Daniel.  If  you  undertake,  however,  to  trace  out  any 
plan  of  the  city  from  the  confused  ^aze  of  streets  that 
lie  outspread  before  you,  it  will  be  infinitely  worse  than 
an  attempt  to  solve  the  mysteries  of  a  woman's  heart; 
for  there  is  no  apparent  plan  about  it;  the  whole  thing 
is  an  unintelligible  web  of  accidents.  There  is  no  ac 
counting  for  its  irregularity,  unless  upon  the  principle 
that  it  became  distorted  in  a  perpetual  struggle  to  keep 
within  reach  of  the  Kremlin. 

It  is  sometimes  rather  amusing  to  compare  one's  pre 
conceived  ideas  of  a  place  with  the  reality.  A  city  like 
Moscow  is  very  difficult  to  recognize  from  any  written 


54  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

description.  From  some  cause  wholly  inexplicable,  I 
had  pictured  to  my  mind  a  vast  gathering  of  tall,  mass 
ive  houses,  elaborately  ornamented ;  long  lines  of  nar 
row  and  gloomy  streets ;  many  great  palaces,  dingy  with 
age ;  and  a  population  composed  chiefly  of  Russian  na 
bobs  and  their  retinues  of  serfs.  The  reality  is  almost 
exactly  the  reverse  of  all  these  preconceived  ideas.  The 
houses  for  the  most  part  are  low — not  over  one  or  two 
stories  high — painted  with  gay  and  fanciful  colors,  chief 
ly  yellow,  red,  or  blue ;  the  roofs  of  tin  or  zinc,  and  near 
ly  all  of  a  bright  green,  giving  them  a  very  lively  effect 
in  the  sun ;  nothing  grand  or  imposing  about  them  in 
detail,  and  but  little  pretension  to  architectural  beauty. 
Very  nearly  such  houses  may  be  seen  every  day  on  any 
of  the  four  continents. 

Still,  every  indication  of  life  presents  a  very  different 
aspect  from  any  thing  in  our  own  country.  The  peo 
ple  have  a  slow,  slouching,  shabby  appearance;  and  the 
traveler  is  forcibly  reminded,  by  the  strange  costumes 
he  meets  at  every  turn — the  thriftless  and  degenerate 
aspect  of  the  laboring  classes — the  great  lumbering  wag 
ons  that  roll  over  the  stone-paved  streets — the  droskies 
rattling  hither  and  thither  with  their  grave,  priest-like 
drivers  and  wild  horses  —  the  squads  of  filthy  soldiers 
lounging  idly  at  every  corner — the  markets  and  market 
places,  and  all  that  gives  interest  to  the  scene,  that  he  is 
in  a  foreign  land — a  wild  land  of  fierce  battles  between 
the  elements,  and  fierce'r  still  between  men — where  civ 
ilization  is  ever  struggling  between  Oriental  barbarism 
and  European  profligacy. 

The  most  interesting  feature  in  the  population  of  Mos 
cow  is  their  constant  and  extraordinary  displays  of  re 
ligious  enthusiasm.  This  seems  to  be  confined  to  no 
class  or  sect,  but  is  the  prevailing  characteristic.  No 
less  than  three  hundred  churches  are  embraced  within 
the  limits  of  the  city.  Some  writers  estimate  the  num 
ber  as  high  as  five  hundred ;  nor  does  the  discrepancy 
show  so  much  a  want  of  accuracy  as  the  difficulty  of  de- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  55 

termining  precisely  what  constitutes  a  distinct  church. 
Many  of  these  remarkable  edifices  are  built  iu  clusters, 
with  a  variety  of  domes  and  cupolas,  with  different 
names,  and  contain  distinct  places  of  worship — as  in  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  Basil,  for  instance,  which  is  distinguish 
ed  by  a  vast  number  of  variegated  domes,  and  embraces 
within  its  limits  at  least  five  or  six  separate  churches, 
each  church  being  still  farther  subdivided  into  various 
chapels.  Of  the  extraordinary  architectural  style  of 
these  edifices,  their  many -shaped  and  highly -colored 
domes,  representing  all  the  hues  of  the  rainbow,  the  gild 
ing  so  lavishly  bestowed  upon  them,  their  wonderfully 
picturesque  effect  from  every  point  of  view,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  convey  any  adequate  idea  without  enter 
ing  into  a  more  elaborate  description  than  I  can  at  pres 
ent  attempt. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  the  numberless  churches  scatter 
ed  throughout  the  city  that  the  devotional  spirit  of  the 
inhabitants  is  manifested.  Moscow  is  the  Mecca  of  Rus 
sia,  where  all  are  devotees.  The  external  forms  of  re 
ligion  are  every  where  apparent — in  the  palaces,  the  bar 
racks,  the  institutions  of  learning,  the  traktirs,  the  bath 
houses — even  in  the  drinking  cellars  and  gambling-hells. 
Scarcely  a  bridge  or  corner  of  a  street  is  without  its 
shrine,  its  pictured  saint  and  burning  taper,  before  which 
every  by-passer  of  high  or  low  degree  bows  down  and 
worships.  It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  one  is  never 
out  of  sight  of  devotees  baring  their  heads  and  pros 
trating  themselves  before  these  sacred  images.  All  dis 
tinctions  of  rank  seem  lost  in  this  universal  passion  for 
prayer.  The  nobleman,  in  his  gilded  carriage  with  liv 
eried  servants,  stops  and  pays  the  tribute  of  an  uncover 
ed  head  to  some  saintly  image  by  the  bridge  or  the  road 
side;  the  peasant,  in  his  shaggy  sheepskin  capote,  doffs 
his  greasy  cap,  and,  while  devoutly  crossing  himself,  ut 
ters  a  prayer;  the  soldier,  grim  and  warlike,  marches 
up  in  his  rattling  armor,  grounds  his  musket,  and  forgets 
for  the  time  his  mission  of  blood ;  the  tradesman,  with 


56  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

his  leather  apron  and  labor-worn  hands,  lays  down  his 
tools  and  does  homage  to  the  shrine ;  the  drosky-driver, 
noted  for  his  petty  villainies,  checks  his  horse,  and,  stand 
ing  np  in  his  drosky,  bows  low  and  crosses  himself  be 
fore  he  crosses  the  street  or  the  bridge ;  even  my  guide, 
the  saturnine  Dominico — and  every  body  knows  what 
guides  are  all  over  the  world — halted  at  every  corner, 
regardless  of  time,  and  uttered  an  elaborate  form  of  ad 
jurations  for  our  mutual  salvation. 

Pictures  of  a  devotional  character  are  offered  for  sale 
in  almost  every  booth,  alley,  and  passage-way,  where  the 
most  extraordinary  daubs  may  be  seen  pinned  up  to  the 
walls.  Saints  and  dragons,  fiery- nosed  monsters,  and 
snakes,  and  horrid  creeping  things,  gilded  and  decorated 
in  the  most  gaudy  style,  attract  idle  crowds  from  morn 
ing  till  night. 

It  is  marvelous  with  what  profound  reverence  the 
Russians  will  gaze  at  these  extraordinary  specimens  of 
art.  Often  you  see  a  hardened-looking  ruffian — his  face 
covered  with  beard  and  filth ;  his  great,  brawny  form 
resembling  that  of  a  prize-fighter ;  his  costume  a  ragged 
blouse,  with  loose  trowsers  thrust  in  his  boots ;  such  a 
wretch,  in  short,  as  you  would  select  for  an  unmitigated 
ruffian  if  you  were  in  want  of  a  model  for  that  charac 
ter — take  off"  his  cap,  and,  with  superstitious  awe  and  an 
expression  of  profound  humility,  bow  down  before  some 
picture  of  a  dragon  with  seven  heads  or  a  chubby  little 
baby  of  saintly  parentage. 

That  these  poor  people  are  sincere  in  their  devotion 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  Their  sincerity,  indeed,  is  at 
tested  by  the  strongest  proofs  of  self-sacrifice.  A  Rus 
sian  will  not  hesitate  to  lie,  rob,  murder,  or  suffer  starva 
tion  for  the  preservation  of  his  religion.  Bigoted  though 
he  may  be,  he  is  true  to  his  faith  and  devoted  to  his 
forms  of  worship,  whatever  may  be  his  short-comings  in 
other  respects.  It  is  a  part  of  his  nature;  it  permeates 
his  entire  being.  Hence  no  city  in  the  world,  perhaps 
— Jerusalem  not  excepted — presents  so  strange  a  spec- 


U1TI7BE 

THE  LAND  OF  TI 


tacle  of  religious  enthusiasm,  genuine 
mingled  with  moral  turpitude ;  monkish  asceticism  and 
utter  abandonment  to  vice;  self-sacrifice  and  loose  in 
dulgence.  It  may  be  said  that  this  is  not  true  religion 
—  not  even  what  these  people  profess.  Perhaps  not; 
but  it  is  what  they  are  accustomed  to  from  infancy,  and 
it  certainly  develops  some  of  their  best  traits  of  charac 
ter — charity  to  each  other,  earnestness,  constancy,  and 
self-sacrifice. 

On  the  morning  after  my  arrival  in  Moscow  I  witness 
ed  from  the  window  of  my  hotel  a  very  impressive  and 
melancholy  spectacle — the  departure  of  a  gang  of  pris 
oners  for  Siberia.  The  number  amounted  to  some  two 
or  three  hundred.  Every  year  similar  trains  are  dis 
patched,  yet  the  parting  scene  always  attracts  a  sympa 
thizing  crowd.  These  poor  creatures  were  chained  in 
pairs,  and  guarded  by  a  strong  detachment'  of  soldiers. 
Their  appearance,  as  they  stood  in  the  street  awaiting 
the  order  to  march,  was  very  sad.  Most  of  them  were 
miserably  clad,  and  some  scarcely  clad  at  all.  A  de 
graded,  forlorn  set  they  were — filthy  and  ragged — their 
downcast  features  expressive  of  an  utter  absence  of  hope. 
Few  of  them  seemed  to  have  any  friends  or  relatives  in 
the  crowd  of  by-standers ;  but  in  two  or  three  instances 
I  noticed  some  very  touching  scenes  of  separation  — 
where  wives  came  to  bid  good-by  to  their  husbands,  and 
children  to  their  fathers.  Nearly  every  body  gave  them 
something  to  help  them  on  their  way — a  few  kopecks,  a 
loaf  of  bread,  or  some  cast-off  article  of  clothing.  I  saw 
a  little  child  timidly  approach  the  gang,  and,  dropping  a 
small  coin  into  the  hand  of  one  poor  wretch,  run  back 
again  into  the  crowd,  weeping  bitterly.  These  prison 
ers  are  condemned  to  exile  for  three,  four,  or  five  years 
— often  for  life.  It  requires  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
months  of  weary  travel,  all  the  way  on  foot,  through 
barren  wastes  and  inhospitable  deserts,  to  enable  them 
to  reach  their  desolate  place  of  exile.  Many  of  them 
fall  sick  on  the  way  from  fatigue  and  privation — many 

C  2 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  59 

die.  Few  ever  live  to  return.  In  some  instances  the 
whole  term  of  exile  is  served  out  on  the  journey  to  and 
from  Siberia.  On  their  arrival  they  are  compelled  to 
labor  in  the  government  mines  or  on  the  public  works. 
Occasionally  the  most  skillful  and  industrious  are  re 
warded  by  appointments  to  positions  of  honor  and  trust, 
and  become  in  the  course  of  time  leading  men. 

In  contemplating  the  dreary  journey  of  these  poor 
creatures — a  journey  of  some  fifteen  hundred  or  two 
thousand  miles  —  I  was  insensibly  reminded  of  that 
touching  little  story  of  filial  affection,  "  Elizabeth  of  Si 
beria,"  a  story  drawn  from  nature,  and  known  in  all  civ 
ilized  languages. 

Not  long  after  the  departure  of  the  Siberian  prisoners, 
I  witnessed,  in  passing  along  one  of  the  principal  streets, 
a  grand  funeral  procession.  The  burial  of  the  dead. is 
a  picturesque  and  interesting  ceremony  in  Moscow.  A 
body  of  priests,  dressed  in  black  robes  and  wearing  long 
beards,  take  the  lead  in  the  funeral  cortege,  bearing  in 
their  hands  shrines  and  burning  tapers.  The  hearse  fol 
lows,  drawn  by  four  horses.  Black  plumes  wave  from 
the  heads  of  the  horses,  and  flowing  black  drapery  covers 
their  bodies  and  legs.  Even  their  heads  are  draped  in 
black,  nothing  being  perceptible  but  their  eyes.  The 
coffin  lies  exposed  on  the  top  of  the  hearse,  and  is  also 
similarly  draped.  This  combination  of  sombre  plumage 
and  drapery  has  a  singularly  mournful  appearance. 
Priests  stand  on  steps  attached  to  the  hearse  holding 
images  of  the  Savior  over  the  coffin ;  others  follow  in 
the  rear,  comforting  the  friends  and  relatives  of  the  de 
ceased.  A  wild,  monotonous  chant  is  sung  from  time 
to  time  by  the  chief  mourners  as  the  procession  moves 
toward  the  burial-ground.  The  people  cease  their  oc 
cupations  in  the  streets  through  which  the  funeral  j>ass- 
es,  uncover  their  heads,  and,  bowing  down  before  the 
images  borne  by  the  priests,  utter  prayers  for  the  repose 
of  the  dead.  The  rich  and  the  poor  of  both  sexes  stand 
upon  the  sidewalks  and  offer  up  their  humble  petitions. 


OU  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

The  deep-tongued  bells  of  the  Kremlin  ring  out  solemn 
peals,  and  the  wild  and  mournful  chant  of  the  priests 
mingles  with  the  grand  knell  of  death  that  sweeps 
through  the  air.  All  is  profoundly  impressive  :  the  pro 
cession  of  priests,  with  their  burning  tapers ;  the  dra 
pery  of  black  on  the  horses ;  the  coffin  with  its  dead ; 
the  weeping  mourners ;  the  sepulchral  chant ;  the  sud 
den  cessation  of  all  the  business  of  life,  and  the  rapt  at 
tention  of  the  multitude ;  the  deep,  grand,  death-knell 
of  the  bells ;  the  glitter  of  domes  and  cupolas  on  ev 
ery  side;  the  green-roofed  sea  of  houses;  the  winding 
streets,  and  the  costumes  of  the  people — form  a  specta 
cle  wonderfully  wild,  strange,  and  mournful.  In  every 
thing  that  comes  within  the  sweep  of  the  eye  there  is  a 
mixed  aspect  of  Tartaric  barbarism  and  European  civil 
ization.  Yet  even  the  stranger  from  a  far-distant  clime, 
speaking  another  language,  accustomed  to  other  forms, 
must  feel,  in  gazing  upon  such  a  scdfce,  that  death  lev 
els  all  distinctions  of  race — that  our  common  mortali 
ty  brings  us  nearer  together.  Every  where  we  are  pil 
grims  on  the  same  journey.  Wherever  we  sojourn 
among  men, 

"The  dead  around  us  lie, 
And  the  death-bell  tolls." 


CHAPTER  V. 

TEA-DRINKING. 

THE  traktirs,  or  tea-houses,  are  prominent  among  the 
remarkable  institutions  of  Russia.  In  Moscow  they 
abound  in  every  street,  lane,  and  by-alley.  That  situ 
ated  near  the  Katai  Gorod  is  said  to  be  the  best. 
Though  inferior  to  the  ordinary  cafes  of  Paris  or  Mar 
seilles  in  extent  and  decoration,  it  is  nevertheless  pretty 
stylish  in  its  way,  and  is  interesting  to  strangers  from 
the  fact  that  it  represents  a  prominent  feature  in  Rus 
sian  life — the  drinking  of  tchai. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  01 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Russian  tea? — the  tea  that 
comes  all  the  way  across  the  steppes  of  Tartary  and  over 
the  Ural  Mountains  ? — the  tea  that  never  loses  its  flavor 
by  admixture  with  the  salt  of  the  ocean,  but  is  delivered 
over  at  the  great  fair  of  Nijni  Novgorod  as  pure  and 
fragrant  as  when  it  started  ?  He  who  has  never  heard 


TEA-SELLERS. 


of  Russian  tea  has  heard  nothing,  and  he  who  has  never 
enjoyed  a  glass  of  it  may  have  been  highly  favored  in 
other  respects,  but  I  contend  that  he  has  nevertheless 
led  a  very  benighted  existence.  All  epicures  in  the  deli 
cate  leaf  unite  in  pronouncing  it  far  superior  to  the  nec 
tar  with  which  the  gods  of  old  were  wont  to  quench  their 
thirst.  It  is  truly  one  of  the  luxuries  of  life — so  soft ; 


02  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

so  richly  yet  delicately  flavored  ;  so  bright,  glowing,  and 
transparent  as  it  flashes  through  the  crystal  glasses ; 
nothing  acrid,  gross,  or  earthly  about  it  —  a  heavenly 
compound  that  "  cheers  but  not  inebriates." 
"  A  balm  for  the  sickness  of  care, 
A  bliss  for  a  bosom  unbless'd." 

Come  with  me,  friend,  and  let  us  take  a  seat  in  the 
tvaktir.  Every  body  here  is  a  tea-drinker.  Coffee  is 
never  good  in  Russia.  Besides,  it  is  gross  and  villain 
ous  stuff"  compared  with  the  tchai  of  Moscow.  At  all 
hours  of  the  day  we  find  the  saloons  crowded  with 
Russians,  French,  Germans,  and  the  representatives  of 
various  other  nations  —  all  worshipers  before  the  bur 
nished  shrine  of  Tchai.  A  little  saint  in  the  corner  pre 
sides  especially  over  this  department.  The  devout  Rus 
sians  take  off*  their  hats  and  make  a  profound  salam  to 
this  accommodating  little  patron,  whose  corpulent  stom 
ach  and  smiling  countenance  betoken  an  appreciation  of 
all  the  good  things  of  life.  Now  observe  how  these 
wonderful  Russians — the  strangest  and  most  incompre 
hensible  of  beings — cool  themselves  this  sweltering  hot 
day.  Each  stalwart  son  of  the  North  calls  for  a  portion 
of  tchai,  not  a  tea-cupful  or  a  glassful,  but  a  genuine 
Russian  portion — a  tea-potful.  The  tea-pot  is  small,  but 
the  tea  is  strong  enough  to  bear  an  unlimited  amount  of 
dilution ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  glorious  privileges  of  the 
tea-drinker  in  this  country  that  he  may  have  as  much 
hot  water  as  he  pleases.  Sugar  is  more  sparingly  sup 
plied.  The  adept  remedies  this  difficulty  by  placing  a 
lump  of  sugar  in  his  mouth  and  sipping  his  tea  through 
it — a  great  improvement  upon  the  custom  said  to  exist 
in  some  parts  of  Holland,  where  a  lump  of  sugar  is  hung 
by  a  string  over  the  table  and  swung  around  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  so  that  each  guest  may  take  a  pull  at  it  after 
swallowing  his  tea.  A  portion  would  be  quite  enough 
for  a  good-sixecl  family  in  America.  The  Russian  makes 
nothing  of  it.  Filling  and  swilling  hour  after  hour,  he 
seldom  rises  before  he  gets  through  ten  or  fifteen  turn- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


blersful,  and,  if  he  happens  to  be  thirsty,  will  double  it — 
enough,  one  would  think,  to  founder  a  horse.  But  the 
Russian  stomach  is  constructed  upon  some  physiological 


MDJIK8    AT    TEA. 


principles  unknown  to  the  rest  of  mankind  —  perhaps 
lined  with  gutta-percha  and  riveted  to  a  diaphragm  of 
sheet-iron.  Grease  and  scalding-hot  tea;  quass  and  cab- 


64  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

bage  soup  ;  raw  cucumbers ;  cold  fish  ;  lumps  of  ice ;  de 
cayed  cheese  and  black  bread,  seem  to  have  no  other  ef 
fect  upon  it  than  to  provoke  an  appetite.  In  warm 
weather  it  is  absolutely  marvelous  to  see  the  quantities 
of  fiery-hot  liquids  these  people  pour  down  their  throats. 
Just  cast  your  eye  upon  that  bearded  giant  in  the  cor 
ner,  with  his  hissing  urn  of  tea  before  him,  his  batvi- 
na  and  his  shtshie!  What  a  spectacle  of  physical  en 
joyment!  His  throat  is  bare;  his  face  a  glowing  car 
buncle;  his  body  a  monstrous  caldron,  seething  and 
dripping  with  overflowing  juices.  Shade  of  Hebe!  how 
he  swills  the  tea — how  glass  after  glass  of  the  steaming- 
hot  liquid  flows  into  his  capacious  maw,  and  diffuses  it 
self  over  his  entire  person !  It  oozes  from  every  pore  of 
his  skin ;  drops  in  globules  from  his  forehead ;  smokes 
through  his  shirt ;  makes  a  piebald  chart  of  seas  and 
islands  over  his  back  ;  streams  down  and  simmers  in  his 
boots !  He  is  saturated  with  tea,  inside  and  out — a  liv 
ing  sponge  overflowing  at  every  pone.  You  might  wring 
him  out,  and  there  would  still  be  a  heavy  balance  left  in 
him. 

These  traktirs  are  the  general  places  of  meeting,  where 
matters  of  business  or  pleasure  are  discussed ;  accounts 
settled  and  bargains  made.  Here  the  merchant,  the 
broker,  the  banker,  and  the  votary  of  pleasure  meet  in 
common.  Here  all  the  pursuits  of  human  life  are  repre 
sented,  and  the  best  qualities  of  men  drawn  out  with  the 
drawing  of  the  tea.  Enmities  are  forgotten  and  friend 
ships  cemented  in  tea.  In  short,  the  traktir  is  an  insti 
tution,  and  its  influence  extends  through  all  the  ramifi 
cations  of  society. 

But  it  is  in  the  gardens  and  various  places  of  suburb 
an  resort  that  the  universal  passion  for  tea  is  displayed 
in  its  most  pleasing  and  romantic  phases.  Surrounded 
by  the  beauties  of  nature,  lovers  make  their  avowals  over 
the  irrepressible  tea-pot ;  the  hearts  of  fair  damsels  are 
won  in  the  intoxication  of  love  and  tea ;  quarrels  be 
tween  man  and  wife  are  made  up,  and  children  weaned 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  05 

— I  had  almost  said  baptized — in  tea.  The  traveler  must 
see  the  families  seated  under  the  trees,  with  the  bur 
nished  urn  before  them  —  the  children  romping  about 
over  the  grass ;  joy  beaming  upon  every  face  ;  the  whole 
neighborhood  a  repetition  of  family  groups  and  steam 
ing  urns,  bound  together  by  the  mystic  tie  of  sympathy, 
before  he  can  fully  appreciate  the  important  part  that 
tea  performs  in  the  great  drama  of  Russian  life. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   PETERSKOI    GARDENS. 

THIS  draws  me  insensibly  toward  the  beautiful  gar 
dens  of  the  Peterskoi — a  favorite  place  of  resort  for  the 
Moskovites,  and  famous  for  its  chateau  built  by  the  Em 
press  Elizabeth,  in  which  Napoleon  sought  refuge  during 
the  burning  of  Moscow.  It  is  here  the  rank  and  fashion 
of  the  city  may  be  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage  of  a 
fine  summer  afternoon.  In  these  gardens  all  that  is  bril 
liant,  beautiful,  and  poetical  in  Russian  life  finds  a  conge 
nial  atmosphere. 

I  spent  an  evening  at  the  Peterskoi  which  I  shall  long 
remember  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  I  ever  spent 
at  any  place  of  popular  amusement.  The  weather,  was 
charming — neither  too  warm  nor  too  cold,  but  of  that  pe 
culiarly  soft  and  dreamy  temperature  which  predisposes 
one  for  the  enjoyment  of  music,  flowers,  the  prattle  of 
children,  the  fascinations  of  female  loveliness,  and  the  lux 
uries  of  idleness.  In  such  an  atmosphere  no  man  of  sen 
timent  can  rack  his  brain  with  troublesome  problems. 
These  witching  hours,  when  the  sun  lingers  dreamily  on 
the  horizon ;  when  the  long  twilight  weaves  a  web  of 
purple  and  gold  that  covers  the  transition  from  night  to 
morning;  when  nature,  wearied  of  the  dazzling  glare  of 
day,  puts  on  her  silver-spangled  robes,  and  receives  her 
worshipers  with  celestial  smiles,  are  surely  enough  to 
soften  the  most  stubborn  heart.  We  must  make  love, 


00  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

sweet  ladies,  or  die.  There  is  no  help  for  it.  Resist 
ance  is  an  abstract  impossibility.  The  best  man  in  the 
world  could  not  justly  be  censured  for  practicing  a  little 
with  his  eyes,  when  away  from  home,  merely  as  I  do,  you 
know,  to  keep  up  the  expression. 

The  gardens  of  the  Peterskoi  are  still  a  dream  to  me. 
For  a  distance  of  three  versts  from  the  gate  of  St.  Peters 
burg  the  road  was  thronged  with  carriages  and  droskies, 
and  crowds  of  gayly-dressed  citizens,  all  wending  their 
way  toward  the  scene  of  entertainment.  The  pressure 
for  tickets  at  the  porter's  lodge  was  so  great  that  it 
required  considerable  patience  and  good-humor  to  get 
through  at  all.  Officers  in  dashing  uniforms  rode  on 
spirited  chargers  up  and  down  the  long  rows  of  vehicles, 
and  with  drawn  swords  made  way  for  the  foot-passen 
gers.  Guards  in  imperial  livery,  glittering  from  head  to 
foot  with  embroidery,  stood  at  the  grand  portals  of  the 
gate,  and  with  many  profound  and  elegant  bows  ushered 
in  the  company.  Policeman  with  cocked  hats  and  shin 
ing  epaulets  were  stationed  at  intervals  along  the  lead 
ing  thoroughfares  to  preserve  order. 

The  scene  inside  the  gates  was  wonderfully  imposing. 
Nothing  could  be  more  fanciful.  In  every  aspect  it  pre 
sented  some  striking  combination  of  natural  and  artificial 
beauties,  admirably  calculated  to  fascinate  the  imagina 
tion.  I  have  a  vague  recollection  of  shady  and  undu 
lating  walks,  winding  over  sweeping  lawns  dotted  with 
masses  of  flowers  and  copses  of  shrubbery,  and  overhung 
by  wide-spreading  trees,  sometimes  gradually  rising  over 
gentle  acclivities  or  points  of  rock  overhung  with  moss 
and  fern.  Rustic  cottages,  half  hidden  by  the  luxuriant 
foliage,  crowned  each  prominent  eminence,  and  little  by- 
ways  branched  off  into  cool,  umbrageous  recesses,  where 
caves,  glittering  with  sea-shells  and  illuminated  stalac 
tites,  invited  the  wayfarer  to  linger  a  while  and  rest. 
Far  down  in  deep  glens  and  grottoes  were  retired  nooks, 
where  lovers,  hidden  from  the  busy  throng,  might  mingle 
their  vows  to  the  harmony  of  falling  waters;  where  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  07 

very  flowers  seemed  whispering  love  to  each  other,  and 
the  lights  and  shadows  fell,  by  some  intuitive  sense  of 
titness,  into  the  form  of  bridal  wreaths.  Marble  statues 
representing  the  Graces,  winged  Mercuries  and  Cupids, 
are  so  cunningly  displayed  in  relief  against  the  green 
banks  of  foliage  that  they  seem  the  natural  inhabitants 
of  the  place.  Snow-spirits,  too,  with  outspread  wings, 
hover  in  the  air,  as  if  to  waft  cooling  zephyrs  through  the 
soft  summer  night.  In  the  open  spaces  fountains  dash 
their  sparkling  waters  high  into  the  moonlight,  spread 
ing  a  mystic  spray  over  the  sward.  Through  vistas  of 
shrubbery  gleam  the  bright  waters  of  a  lake,  on  the  far 
side  of  which  the  embattled  tower%of  a  castle  rise  in  bold 
relief  over  the  intervening  groups  of  trees. 

On  an  elevated  plateau,  near  the  centre  of  the  garden, 
stands  a  series  of  Asiatic  temples  and  pagodas,  in  which 
the  chief  entertainments  are  held.  The  approaching  av 
enues  are  illuminated  with  many-colored  lights  suspend 
ed  from  the  branches  of  the  trees,  and  wind  under  tri 
umphal  archways,  festooned  with  flowers.  The  theatres 
present  open  fronts,  and  abound  in  all  the  tinsel  of  the 
stage,  both  inside  and  out.  The  grounds  are  crowded 
to  their  utmost  capacity  with  the  rank  and  fashion  of  the 
city,  in  all  the  glory  of  jeweled  head-dresses  and  decora 
tions  of  order.  Festoons  of  variegated  lights  swing  from 
the  trees  over  the  audience,  and  painted  figures  of  drag 
ons  and  genii  are  dimly  seen  in  the  background. 

Attracted  by  sounds  of  applause  at  one  of  these  the 
atres,  I  edged  my  way  through  the  crowd,  and  succeed 
ed,  after  many  apologies,  in  securing  a  favorable  position. 
Amid  a  motley  gathering  of  Russians,  Poles,  Germans, 
and  French — for  here  all  nations  and  classes  are  repre 
sented — my  ears  were  stunned  by  the  clapping  of  hands 
and  vociferous  cries  of  JBis  f  JBisf  The  curtain  was 
down,  but  in  answer  to  the  call  for  a  repetition  of  the  last 
scene  it  soon  rose  again,  and  afforded  me  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  a  characteristic  performance.  A  wild  Mu- 
jik  has  the  impudence  to  make  love  to  the  maid-servant 


68 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


of  his»master,  who  appears  to  be  rather  a  crusty  old 
gentleman,  not  disposed  to  favor  matrimonial  alliances 
of  that  kind.  Love  gets  the  better  of  the  lover's  discre 
tion,  and  he  is  surprised  in  the  kitchen.  The  bull-dog  is 
let  loose  upon  him ;  master  and  mistress  and  subordinate 


EUS8IAN   THEATRE. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  69 

members  of  the  family  rush  after  him,  armed  with  sauce 
pans,  tongs,  shovels,  and  broomsticks.  The  affrighted 
Mujik  runs  all  round  the  stage  bellowing  fearfully ;  the 
bull-dog  seizes  him  by  the  nether  extremities  and  hangs 
on  with  the  tenacity  of  a  vice.  Round  and  round  they 
run,  Mujik  roaring  for  help,  bull-dog  swinging  out  hori 
zontally.  The  audience  applauds;  the  master  flings  down 
his  broomstick  and  seizes  the  dog  by  the  tail;  the  old 
woman  seizes  master  by  the  skirts  of  his  coat ;  and  all 
three  are  dragged  around  the  stage  at  a  terrific  rate, 
while  the  younger  members  of  the  family  shower  down 
miscellaneous  blows  with  their  sticks  and  cudgels,  which 
always  happen  to  fall  on  the  old  people,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  the  audience.  Shouts,  and  shrieks,  and 
clapping  of  hands  but  faintly  express  the  popular  appre 
ciation  of  the  joke.  Finally  the  faithful  maid,  taking  ad 
vantage  of  the  confusion,  flings  a  bunch  of  fire-crackers 
at  her  oppressors  and  blows  them  up,  and  the  Mujik,  re 
lieved  of  their  weight,  makes  a  brilliant  dash  through  the 
door,  carrying  with  him  the  tenacious  bull-dog,  which  it 
is  reasonable  to  suppose  he  subsequently  takes  to  market 
and  sells  for  a  good  price.  The  curtain  falls,  the  music 
strikes  up,  and  the  whole  performance  is  greeted  with 
the  most  enthusiastic  applause.  Such  are  the  entertain 
ments  that  delight  these  humorous  people — a  little  broad 
to  be  sure,  but  not  deficient  in  grotesque  spirit. 

From  the  theatre  I  wandered  to  the  pavilion  of  Zin- 
galee  gipsies,  where  a  band  of  these  wild  sons  of  Hagar 
were.,creating  a  perfect  furor  by  the  shrillness  and  dis 
cord  of  their  voices.  Never  was  such  terrific  music  in 
flicted  upon  mortal  ears.  It  went  through  and  through 
you,  quivering  and  vibrating  like  a  rapier ;  but  the  com 
mon  classes  of  Russians  delight  in  it  above  all  earthly 
sounds.  They  deem  it  the  very  finest  kind  of  music.  It 
is  only  the  dilettante  who  have  visited  Paris  who  profess 
to  hold  it  in  contempt. 

Very  soon  surfeited  with  these  piercing  strains,  I  ram 
bled  away  till  I  came  upon  a  party  of  rope-dancers,  and 


70  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

after  seeing  a  dozen  or  so  of  stout  fellows  hang  them 
selves  by  the  chins,  turn  back  somersaults  in  the  air,  and 
swing  by  one  foot  at  a  dizzy  height  from  the  ground,  left 
them  standing  upon  each  other's  heads  to  the  depth  of 
six  or  eight,  and  turned  aside  into  a  grotto  to  enjoy  a 
few  glasses  of  tea.  Here  were  German  girls  singing  and 
buffoons  reciting  humorous  stories  between  the  pauses, 
and  thirsty  Russians  pouring  down  whole  oceans  of  their 
favorite  beverage. 

Again  I  wandered  forth  through  the  leafy  mazes  of 
the  garden.  The  gorgeous  profusion  of  lights  and  glit 
tering  ornaments,  the  endless  variety  of  colors,  the  novel 
and  Asiatic  appearance  of  the  temples,  the  tropical  lux 
uriance  of  the  foliage,  the  gleaming  white  statuary,  the 
gay  company,  the  wild  strains  of  music,  all  combined  to 
form  a  scene  of  peculiar  interest.  High  overhead,  dimly 
visible  through  the  tops  of  the  trees,  the  sky  wears  an 
almost  supernatural  aspect  during  these  long  summer 
nights.  A  soft  golden  glow  flushes  upward  from  the 
horizon,  and,  lying  outspread  over  the  firmament,  gives 
a  spectral  effect  to  the  gentler  and  more  delicate  sheen 
of  the  moon  ;  the  stars  seem  to  shrink  back  into  the  dim 
infinity,  as  if  unable  to  contend  with  the  grosser  efful 
gence  of  the  great  orbs  that  rule  the  day  and  the  night. 
Unconscious  whether  the  day  is  waning  into  the  night, 
or  the  night  into  the  morning,  the  rapt  spectator  gazes 
and  dreams  till  lost  in  the  strange  enchantment  of  the 
scene. 

At  a  late  hour  a  signal  was  given,  and  the  company 
wandered  down  to  the  lake,  along  the  shores  of  which 
rustic  seats  and  divans,  overshadowed  by  shrubbery,  af 
forded  the  weary  an  opportunity  of  resting.  Here  we 
were  to  witness  the  crowning  entertainment  of  the  even 
ing — a  grand  display  of  fire-works.  A  miniature  steam 
boat,  gayly  decorated  with  flags,  swept  to  and  fro,  car 
rying  passengers  to  the  different  landing-places.  Gon 
dolas,  with  .peaked  prows  and  variegated  canopies,  lay 
floating  upon  the  still  water,  that  lovers  might  quench 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  71 

their  flames  in  the  contemplation  of  its  crystal  depths, 
or  draw  fresh  inspiration  from  the  blaze  of  artificial  fires. 
Soon  a  wild  outburst  of  music  was  heard  ;  then  from  the 
opposite  shore  the  whole  heavens  were  lighted  up  with 
a  flood  of  rockets,  and  the  ears  were  stunned  by  their 
explosions.  Down  through  the  depths  of  ether  came 
showers  of  colored  balls,  illuminating  the  waters  of  the 
lake  with  inverted  streams  of  light  scarcely  less  bright 
and  glowing.  Anon  all  was  dark;  then  from  out  the 
darkness  flashed  whirling  and  seething  fires,  gradually 
assuming  the  grotesque  forms  of  monsters  and  genii,  till 
with  a  deafening  explosion  they  were  scattered  to  the 
winds.  From  the  blackened  mass  of  ruins  stood  forth 
illuminated  statues  of  the  imperial  family,  in  all  the  para 
phernalia  of  royalty,  their  crowns  glittering  with  jewels, 
their  robes  of  light  resplendent  with  precious  gems  and 
tracery  of  gold.  A  murmur  of  admiration  ran  through 
the  crowd.  The  imperial  figures  vanished  as  if  by  magic, 
and  suddenly  a  stream  of  fire  flashed  from  a  mass  of  dark 
undefined  objects  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  lo !  the  wa 
ters  were  covered  with  fiery  swans,  sailing  majestically 
among  the  gondolas,  their  necks  moving  slowly  as  if  in 
spired  by  life.  Hither  and  thither  they  swept,  propelled 
by  streams  of  fire,  till,  wearied  with  their  sport,  they  grad 
ually  lay  motionless,  yet  glowing  with  an  augmented 
brilliancy.  While  the  eyes  of  all  were  fixed  in  amazement 
and  admiration  upon  these  beautiful  swans,  they  explod 
ed  with  a  series  of  deafening  reports,  and  were  scattered 
in  confused  volumes  of  smoke.  Out  of  the  chaos  swept 
innumerable  hosts  of  whirling  little  monsters,  whizzing 
and  boring  through  the  water  like  infernal  spirits  of  the 
deep.  These  again  burst  with  a  rattle  of  explosions  like 
an  irregular  fire  of  musketry,  and  shot  high  into  the  air 
in  a  perfect  maze  of  scintillating  stars  of  every  imagina 
ble  color.  When  the  shower  of  stars  was  over,  and 
silence  and  darkness  once  more  reigned,  a  magnificent 
barge,  that  might  well  have  represented  that  of  the 
Egyptian  queen — its  gay  canopies  resplendent  with  the 


,-i 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  73 

glow  of  many-colored  lamps — swept  out  into  the  middle 
of  the  lake,  and 

"Like  a  burnished  throne 
Burn'd  on  the  water." 

And  when  the  rowers  had  ceased,  and  the  barge  lay 
motionless,  soft  strains  of  music  arose  from  its  curtained 
recesses,  swelling  up  gradually  till  the  air  was  filled  with 
the  floods  of  rich,  wild  harmony,  and  the  senses  were 
ravished  with  their  sweetness. 

Was  it  a  wild  Oriental  dream  ?  Could  it  all  be  real — 
the  glittering  fires,  the  gayly-costumed  crowds,  the  illu 
minated  barge,  the  voluptuous  strains  of  music?  Might 
it  not  be  some  gorgeous  freak  of  the  emperor,  such  as 
the  sultan  in  the  Arabian  Nights  enjoyed  at  the  expense 
of  the  poor  traveler  ?  Surely  there  could  be  nothing  real 
like  it  since  the  days  of  the  califs  of  Bagdad! 

A  single  night's  entertainment  such  as  this  must  cost 
many  thousand  rubles.  When  it  is  considered  that  there 
are  but  few  months  in  the  year  when  such  things  can  be 
enjoyed,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  characteristic 
passion  of  the  Russians  for  luxurious  amusements.  It  is 
worthy  of  mention,  too,  that  the  decorations,  the  lamps, 
the  actors  and  operators,  the  material  of  nearly  every 
description,  are  imported  from  various  parts  of  the  world, 
and  very  little  is  contributed  in  any  way  by  the  native 
Russians,  save  the  means  by  which  these  costly  luxuries 
are  obtained. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  "  LITTLE   WATER." 

Ox  the  fundamental  principles  of  association  the  intel 
ligent  reader  will  at  once  comprehend  how  it  came  to 
pass  that,  of  all  the  traits  I  discovered  in  the  Russian 
people,  none  impressed  me  so  favorably  as  their  love  of 
vodka,  or  native  brandy,  signifying  the  "  little  water."  I 
admired  their  long  and  filthy  beards  and  matted  heads 
D 


74  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

of  hair,  because  there  was  much  in  them  to  remind  me 
of  my  beloved  "Washoe ;  but  in  nothing  did  I  experience 
a  greater  fellowship  with  them  than  in  their  constitu 
tional  thirst  for  intoxicating  liquors.  It  was  absolutely 
refreshing,  after  a  year's  travel  over  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  to  come  across  a  genuine  lover  of  the  "  taran 
tula" — to  meet  at  every  corner  of  the  street  a  great 
bearded  fellow  staggering  along  blind  drunk,  or  at 
tempting  to  steady  the  town  by  hugging  a  post.  Rare 
ly  had  I  enjoyed  such  a  sight  since  my  arrival  in  the  Old 
World.  In  Germany  I  had  seen  a  few  cases  of  stupe 
faction  arising  from  overdoses  of  beer ;  in  France  the 
red  nose  of  the  bon  vivant  is  not  uncommon ;  in  En 
gland  some  muddled  heads  are  to  be  found ;  and  in  Scot 
land  there  are  temperance  societies  enough  to  give  rise 
to  the  suspicion  that  there  is  a  cause  for  them;  but,  gen 
erally  speaking,  the  sight  of  an  intoxicated  man  is  some 
what  rare  in  the  principal  cities  of  the  Continent.  It 
will,  therefore,  be  conceded  that  there  was  something 
very  congenial  in  the  spectacle  that  greeted  me  on  the 
very  first  day  of  my  arrival  in  Moscow.  A  great  giant 
of  a  Mujik,  with  a  ferocious  beard  and  the  general  aspect 
of  a  wild  beast,  came  toward  me  with  a  heel  and  a  lurch 
to  port  that  was  very  expressive  of  his  condition.  As  he 
staggered  up  and  tried  to  balance  himself,  he  blurted  out 
some  unmeaning  twaddle  in  his  native  language  which  I 
took  to  be  a  species  of  greeting.  His  expression  was 
absolutely  inspiring — the  great  blear  eyes  rolling  fool 
ishly  in  his  head ;  his  tongue  lolling  helplessly  from  his 
mouth ;  his  under  jaw  hanging  down ;  his  greasy  cap 
hung  on  one  side  on  a  tuft  of  dirty  hair — all  so  familiar, 
so  characteristic  of  something  I  had  seen  before  !  Where 
could  it  have  been  ?  What  potent  spell  was  there  about 
this  fellow  to  attract  me?  In  what  was  it  that  I,  an 
embassador  from  Washoe,  a  citizen  of  California,  a  resi 
dent  of  Oakland,  could  thus  be  drawn  toward  this  hid 
eous  wretch?  A  word  in  your  ear,  reader.  It  was  all 
all  the  effect  of  association !  The  unbidden  tears  flow- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  75 

ed  to  my  eyes  as  I  caught  a  whiff  of  the  fellow's 
breath.  It  was  so  like  the  free -lunch  breaths  of  San 
Francisco,  and  even  suggested  thoughts  of  the  Legis 
lative  Assembly  in  Sacramento.  Only  think  what  a 
genuine  Californian  must  suffer  in  being  a  whole  year 
without  a  glass  of  whisky — nay,  without  as  much  as  a 
smell  of  it !  How  delightful  it  is  to  see  a  brother  hu 
man  downright  soggy  drunk;  drunk  all  over;  drunk 
in  the  eyes,  in  the  mouth,  in  the  small  of  his  back,  in  his 


knees,  in  his  boots,  clear  down  to  his  toes !  How  one's 
heart  is  drawn  toward  him  by  this  common  bond  of  hu 
man  infirmity !  How  it  recalls  the  camp,  the  one-horse 
mining  town,  the  social  gathering  of  the  "boys"  at 
Dan's,  or  Jim's,  or  Jack's ;  and  the  clink  of  dimes  and 
glasses  at'  the  bar ;  how  distances  are  annihilated  and 
time  set  back !  Of  a  verity,  when  I  saw  that  man,  with 


76  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

reason  dethroned  and  the  garb  of  self-respect  thrown 
aside,  I  was  once  again  in  my  own  beloved  state ! 
"What  a  beauty  dwelt  in  each  familiar  face, 
What  music  hung  on  every  voice !" 

Since  reading  is  not  a  very  general  accomplishment 
among  the  lower  classes,  a  system  of  signs  answers  in 
some  degree  as  a  substitute.  The  irregularity  of  the 
streets  would  of  itself  present  no  very  remarkable  feat 
ure  but  for  the  wonderful  variety  of  small  shops  and  the 
oddity  of  the  signs  upon  which  their  contents  are  pic 
tured.  What  these  symbols  of  trade  lack  in  artistic  style 
they  make  up  in  grotesque  effects.  Thus,  the  tobacco 
shops  are  ornamented  outside  with  various  highly-color 
ed  pictures,  drawn  by  artists  of  the  most  florid  genius, 
representing  cigar-boxes,  pipes,  meerschaums,  narghillas, 
bunches  of  cigars,  snuff-boxes,  plugs  and  twists  of  tobac 
co,  and  all  that  the  most  fastidious  smoker,  chewer,  or 
snuffer  can  expect  to  find  in  any  tobacco  shop,  besides  a 
good  many  things  that  he  never  will  find  in  any  of  these 
shops.  Prominent  among  these  symbolical  displays  is 
the  counterfeit  presentment  of  a  jet-black  Indian  of  Af 
rican  descent — his  woolly  head  adorned  with  a  crown  of 
pearls  and  feathers ;  in  his  right  hand  an  uplifted  toma 
hawk,  with 'which  he  is  about  to  kill  some  invisible  ene 
my  ;  in  his  left  a  meerschaum,  supposed  to  be  the  pipe 
of  peace;  a  tobacco  plantation  in  the  background,  and  a 
group  of  warriors  smoking  profusely  around  a  camp-fire, 
located  under  one  of  the  tobacco  plants;  the  whole  hav 
ing  a  very  fine  allegorical  effect,  fully  understood,  no 
doubt,  by  the  artist,  but  very  difficult  to  explain  upon 
any  known  principle  of  art.  The  butchers'  shops  are 
equally  prolific  in  external  adornments.  On  the  sign 
boards  you  see  every  animal  fit  to  be  eaten,  and  many 
of  questionable  aspect,  denuded  of  their  skins  and  re 
duced  to  every  conceivable  degree  of  butchery ;  so  that 
if  you  want  a  veal  cutlet  of  any  particular  pattern,  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  select  your  pattern,  and  the  cutlet 
will  be  chopped  accordingly.  The  bakeries  excel  in  their 


THE  LAXD  OF  THOR.  77 

* 

artistic  displays.  Here  you  have  painted  bread  from 
black-moon  down  to  double-knotted  twist ;  cakes,  bis 
cuit,  rolls,  and  crackers,  and  as  many  other  varieties  as 
the  genius  of  the  artist  may  be  capable  of  suggesting. 
The  bakers  of  Moscow  are  mostly  French  or  German ; 
and  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  bread  is  quite  equal  to 
any  made  in  France  or  Germany.  The  wine-stores,  of 
which  there  are  many,  are  decorated  with  pictures  of 
bottles,  and  bas-reliefs  of  gilded  grapes — a  great  im 
provement  upon  the  ordinary  grape  produced  by  na 
ture. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    MARKETS    OF    MOSCOW. 

IF  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,  there  are  cer 
tainly  a  good  many  old  things  to  interest  a  stranger  in 
Moscow.  A  favorite  resort  of  mine  during  my  sojourn 
in  that  strange  old  city  of  the  Czars  was  in  the  markets 
of  the  Katai  Gorod.  Those  of  the  Riadi  and  Gostovini 
Dvor  present  the  greatest  attractions,  perhaps,  in  the 
way  of  shops  and  merchandise ;  for  there,  by  the  aid  of 
time,  patience,  and  money,  you  can  get  any  thing  you 
want,  from  saints'  armlets  and  devils  down  to  candle 
sticks  and  cucumbers.  Singing-birds,  Kazan-work,  and 
Siberian  diamonds  are  its  most  attractive  features.  But 
if  you  have  a  passion  for  human  oddities  rather  than 
curiosities  of  merchandise,  you  must  visit  the  second 
hand  markets  extending  along  the  walls  of  the  Katai 
Gorod,  where  you  will  find  not  only  every  conceivable 
variety  of  old  clothes,  clocks,  cooking  utensils,  and  rub 
bish  of  all  sorts,  but  the  queerest  imaginable  conglom 
eration  of  human  beings  from  the  far  East  to  the  far 
West.  It  would  be  a  fruitless  task  to  attempt  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  motley  assemblage.  Pick  out  all  the  strangest, 
most  ragged,  most  uncouth  figures  you  ever  saw  in  old 
pictures,  from  childhood  up  to  the  present  day ;  select 


78 


THE  LAND  OF  T11OK. 


ET       -->-       ' 

-r 


OLB-rLOTHE8'  MARKET. 


from  every  theatrical  representation  within  the  range  of 
your  experience  the  most  monstrous  and  absurd  carica 
tures  upon  humanity ;  bring  to  your  aid  all  the  masquer 
ades  and  burlesque  fancy-balls  you  ever  visit ed,  tumble 
them  together  in  the  great  bag  of  your  imagination,  and 
pour  them  out  over  a  vague  wilderness  of  open  spaces, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  79 

dirty  streets,  high  walls,  and  rickety  little  booths,  and 
you  have  no  idea  at  all  of  the  queer  old  markets  of  the 
Katai  Gorod.  You  will  be  just  as  much  puzzled  to  make 
any  thing  of  the  scene  as  when  you  started,  if  not  more  so. 

No  mortal  man  can  picture  to  another  all  these  shag 
gy-faced  Russians,  booted  up  to  the  knees,  their  long, 
loose  robes  flaunting  idly  around  their  legs,  their  red 
sashes  twisted  around  their  waists  ;  brawny  fellows  with 
a  reckless,  independent  swagger  abo^it  them,  stalking  like 
grim  savages  of  the  North  through  the  crowd.  Then 
there  are  the  sallow  and  cadaverous  Jew  peddlers,  cov 
ered  all  over  with  piles  of  ragged  old  clothes,  and  mount 
ains  of  old  hats  and  caps ;  and  leathery-faced  old  women 
— witches  of  Endor — dealing  out  horrible  mixtures  of 
quass  (the  national  drink) ;  and  dirty,  dingy-looking  sol 
diers,  belonging  to  the  imperial  service,  peddling  off  old 
boots  and  cast-off  shirts ;  and  Zingalee  -  gipsies,  dark, 
lean,  and  wiry,  offering  strings  of  beads  and  armlets  for 
sale  with  shrill  cries ;  and  so  on  without  limit. 

Here  you  see  the  rich  and  the  poor  in  all  the  extremes 
of  affluence  and  poverty ;  the  robust  and  the  decrepit ; 
the  strong,  the  lame,  and  the  blind ;  the  noble,  with  his 
star  and  orders  of  office ;  the  Mujik  in  his  shaggy  sheep 
skin  capote  or  tattered  blouse ;  the  Mongolian,  the  Per 
sian,  and  the  Caucasian ;  the  Greek  and  the  Turk ;  the 
Armenian  and  the  Californian,  all  intent  upon  something, 
buying,  selling,  or  looking  on. 

Being  the  only  representative  from  the  Golden  State, 
I  was  anxious  to  offer  some  Washoe  stock  for  sale — 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  the  Gone  Case ;  but  Dominico, 
my  interpreter,  informed  me  that  these  traders  had  never 
heard  of  Washoe,  and  were  mostly  involved  in  Russian 
securities — old  breeches,  boots,  stockings,  and  the  like. 
He  did  not  think  my  "  Gone  Case"  would  bring  an  old 
hat ;  and  as  for  my  "  Sorrowful  Countenance"  and  "  Rag 
ged  End,"  he  was  persuaded  I  could  not  dispose  of  my 
entire  interest  in  them  for  a  pint  of  grease. 

I  was  very  much  taken  with  the  soldiers  who  infested 


80  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

these  old  markets.  It  was  something  new  in  military 
economy  to  see  the  representatives  of  an  imperial  army 
supporting  themselves  in  this  way ;  dark,  lazy  fellows  in 
uniform,  lounging  about  with  old  boots  and  suspenders 
hanging  all  over  them,  crying  out  the  merits  of  their 
wares  in  stentorian  voices,  thus,  as  it  were,  patriotically 
relieving  the  national  treasury  of  a  small  fraction  of  its 
burden.  They  have  much  the  appearance,  in  the  crowd, 
of  raisins  in  a  plum-pudding. 

The  peasant  women,  who  flock  in  from  the  country 
with  immense  burdens  of  vegetables  and  other  products 
of  the  farms,  are  a  very  striking,  if  not  a  very  pleasing 
feature  in  the  markets.  Owing  to  the  hard  labor  im 
posed  upon  them,  they  are  exceedingly  rough  and  braw 
ny,  and  have  a  hard,  dreary,  and  unfeminine  expression 
of  countenance,  rather  inconsistent  with  one's  notions  of 
the  delicacy  and  tenderness  of  woman.  Few  of  them 
are  even  passably  well-looking.  All  the  natural  playful 
ness  of  the  gentler  sex  seems  to  be  crushed  out  of  them ; 
and  while  their  manners  are  uncouth,  their  voices  are  the 
wildest  and  most  unmusical  that  ever  fell  upon  the  ear 
from  a  feminine  source.  When  dressed  in  their  best  at 
tire  they  usually  wear  a  profusion  of  red  handkerchiefs 
about  their  heads  and  shoulders ;  and  from  an  unpictur- 
esque  habit  they  have  of  making  an  upper  waist  imme 
diately  under  their  arras  by  a  ligature  of  some  sort,  and 
tying  their  apron-strings  about  a  foot  below,  they  have 
the  singular  appearance  of  being  double- waisted  or  three- 
story  women.  They  carry  their  children  on  their  backs, 
much  after  the  fashion  of  Digger  Indians,  and  suckle 
them  through  an  opening  in  the  second  or  middle  story. 
Doubtless  this  is  a  convenient  arrangement,  but  it  pre 
sents  the  curious  anomaly  of  a  poor  peasant  living  in  a 
one-story  house  with  a  three-story  wife.  According  to 
the  prevailing  style  of  architecture  in  well-wooded  coun 
tries,  these  women  ought  to  wear  their  hair  shingled ; 
but  they  generally  tie  it  up  in  a  knot  behind,  or  cover  it 
with  a  fancy-colored  handkerchief,  on  the  presumption,  I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  81 

suppose,  that  they  look  less  barbarous  in  that  way  than 
they  would  with  shingled  heads.  You  may  suspect  me 
of  story-telling,  but  upon  my  word  I  think  three-story 
women  are  extravagant  enough  without  adding  another 
to  them.  I  only  hope  their  garrets  contain  a  better  qual 
ity  of  furniture  than  that  which  afflicts  the  male  mem 
bers  of  the  Mujik  community.  No  wonder  those  poor 
women  have  families  of  children  like  steps  of  stairs !  It 
is  said  that  their  husbands  are  often  very  cruel  to  them, 
and  think  nothing  of  knocking  them  down  and  beating 
them ;  but  even  that  does  not  surprise  me.  How  can  a 
man  be  expected  to  get  along  with  a  three-story  wife 
unless  he  floors  her  occasionally  ? 

Ragged  little  boys,  prematurely  arrested  in  their 
growth,  you  see  too,  in  myriads — shovel- nosed  and 
bare-legged  urchins  of  hideously  eccentric  manners,  car 
rying  around  big  bottles  of  sbiteen  (a  kind  of  mead), 
which  they  are  continually  pouring  out  into  glasses,  to 
appease  the  chronic  thirst  with  which  the  public  seem  to 
be  afflicted ;  and  groups  of  the  natives  gathered  around 
a  cucumber  stand,  devouring  great  piles  of  unwholesome- 
looking  cucumbers,  which  skinny  old  women  are  dipping 
up  out  of  wooden  buckets.  The  voracity  with  which  all 
classes  stow  away  these  vicious  edibles  in  their  stomachs 
is  amazing,  and  suggests  a  melancholy  train  of  reflections 
on  the  subject  of  cholera  rnorbus.  It  was  a  continual 
matter  of  wronder  to  me  how  the  lower  classes  of-Rus- 
sians  survived  the  horrid  messes  with  'which  they  tor 
tured  their  digestive  apparatus.  Only  think  of  thousands 
of  men  dining  every  day  on  black  bread,  heavy  enough 
for  bullets,  a  pound  or  two  of  grease,  and  half  a  peck  of 
raw  cucumbers  per  man,  and  then  expecting  to  live  until 
next  morning !  And  yet  they  do  live,  and  grow  fat,  and 
generally  die  at  a  good  old  age,  in  case  they  are  not  kill 
ed  in  battle,  or  frozen  up  in  the  wilds  of  Siberia. 

Outside  the  walls  of  the  Katai  Gorod,  in  an  open 
square,  or  plaza,  are  rows  of  wooden  booths,  in  which  in 
numerable  varieties  of  living  stock  are  offered  for  sale — 
D2 


82  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

geese,  ducks,  chickens,  rabbits,  pigeons,  and  birds  of  va 
rious  sorts.  I  sometimes  went  down  here  and  bargained 
for  an  hour  or  so  over  a  fat  goose  or  a  Muscovy  duck, 
not  with  any  ultimate  idea  of  purchasing  it,  but  merely 
because  it  was  offered  to  me  at  a  reduced  price.  It  was 
amusing,  also,  to  study  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
dealers,  and  enjoy  their  amazement  when,  after  causing 
them  so  much  loss  of  time,  I  would  hand  over  five  ko 
peks  and  walk  off.  Some  of  them,  I  verily  believe,  will 
long  entertain  sertous  doubts  as  to  the  sanity  of  the  Cal- 
ifornian  public ;  for  Dominico,  my  guide,  always  took 
particular  pride  in  announcing  that  I  was  from  that  great 
country,  and  was  the  richest  man  in  it,  being,  to  the  best 
of  his  knowledge,  the  only  one  who  had  money  enough 
to  spare  to  travel  all  the  way  to  Moscow,  merely  for  the 
fun  of  the  thing. 

I  may  as  well  mention,  parenthetically,  that  Dominico 
was  rather  an  original  in  his  way.  His  father  was  an 
Italian  and  his  mother  a  Russian.  I  believe  he  was  born 
in  Moscow.  How  he  came  to  adopt  the  profession  of 
guide  I  don't  know,  unless  it  was  on  account  of  some 
natural  proclivity  for  an  easy  life.  A  grave,  lean,  satur 
nine  man  was  Dominico — something  of  a  cross  between 
Machiavelli  and  Pagan ini.  If  he  knew  any  thing  about 
the  wonders  and  curiosities  of  Moscow  he  kept  it  a  pro 
found  secret.  It  was  only  by  the  most  rigid  inquiry  and 
an  adroit  system  of  cross-examination  that  I  could  get 
any  thing  out  of  him,  and  then  his  information  was  vague 
and  laconic,  sometimes  a  little  sarcastic,  but  never  beyond 
what  I  knew  myself.  Yet  he  was  polite,  dignified,  and 
gentlemanly — never  refused  to  drink  a  glass  of  beer  with 
me,  and  always  knew  the  way  to  a  traktir.  To  the  pub 
lic  functionaries  with  whom  w£  came  in  contact  during 
the  course  of  our  rambles  his  air  was  grand  and  impos 
ing;  and  on  the  subject  of  money  he  was  sublimely  non 
chalant,  caring  no  more  for  rubles  than  I  did  for  kopeks. 
Once  or  twice  he  hinted  to  me  that  he  was  of  noble 
blood,  but  laid  no  particular  stress  upon  that,  since  it 


THE  LAND  OF  T11OR.  S3 

was  his  misfortune  at  present  to  be  in  rather  reduced 
circumstances.  Some  time  or  other  he  would  go  to  Italy 
and  resume  his  proper  position  there.  In  justice  to  Do- 
minico,  I  must  add  that  he  never  neglected  an  oppor 
tunity  of  praying  for  me  before  any  of  the  public  shrines ; 
and  at  the  close  of  our  acquaintance  he  let  me  off  pret 
ty  easily,  all  things  considered.  Upon  my  explaining  to 
him  that  a  draft  for  five  hundred  thousand  rubles,  which 
ought  to  be  on  the  way,  had  failed  to  reach  me,  owing, 
doubtless,  to  some  irregularity  in  the  mail  service,  or 
some  sudden  depression  in  my  Washoe  stocks,  he  merely 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  took  a  pinch  of  snuff,  and  accept 
ed  with  profound  indifference  a  fee  amounting  to  three 
times  the  value  of  his  services. 

I  was  particularly  interested  in  the  dog-market.  The 
display  of  living  dog-flesh  here  must  be  very  tempting 
to  one  who  has  a  taste  for  poodle  soup  or  fricasseed  pup. 
Dominico  repudiated  the  idea  that  the  Russians  are  ad 
dicted  to  this  article  of  diet;  but  the  very  expression  of 
his  eye  as  he  took  up  a  fat  little  innocent,  smoothed 
down  its  skin,  squeezed  its  ribs,  pinched  its  loins,  and 
smelled  it,  satisfied  me  that  a  litter  of  pups  would  stand 
but  a  poor  chance  of  ever  arriving  at  maturity  if  they 
depended  upon  forbearance  upon  his  part  as  a  national 
virtue.  The  Chinese  quarter  of  San  Francisco  affords 
some  curious  examples  of  the  art  of  compounding  sus 
tenance  for  man  out  of  odd  materials — rats,  snails,  dried 
frogs,  star-fish,  polypi,  and  the  like ;  but  any  person  who 
wishes  to  indulge  a  morbid  appetite  for  the  most  disgust 
ing  dishes  ever  devised  by  human  ingenuity  must  visit 
Moscow.  I  adhere  to  it  that  the  dog-market  supplies  a 
large  portion  of  the  population  with  fancy  meats.  No 
other  use  could  possibly  be  made  of  the  numberless 
squads  of  fat,  hairless  dogs  tied  together  and  hawked 
about  by  the  traders  in  this  article  of  traffic.  I  saw  one 
man — he  had  the  teeth  of  an  ogre  and  a  fearfully  carniv 
orous  expression  of  eye — carry  around  a  bunch  of  pups 
on  each  arm,  and  cry  aloud  something  in  his  native 


84 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


tongue,  which  I  am  confident  had  reference  to  the  ten 
derness  and  juiciness  of  their  flesh.  Dominico  declared 
the  man  was  only  talking  about  the  breed — that  they 
were  fine  rat-dogs ;  but  I  know  that  was  a  miserable 
subterfuge.  Such  dogs  never  caught  a  rat  in  this  world  ; 
and  if  they  did,  it  must  have  been  with  a  view  to  the 
manufacture  of  sausages. 


CABINET-MAKERS. 


A  Russian  peasant  is  not  particular  about  the  quality 
of  his  food,  as  may  well  be  supposed  from  this  general 
summary.  Quantity  is  the  main  object.  Grease  of  all 
kinds  is  his  special  luxury.  The  upper  classes,  who  have 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  85 

plenty  of  money  to  spare,  may  buy  fish  from  the  Volga 
at  its  weight  in  gold,  and  mutton  from  Astrakan  at  fab 
ulous  prices ;  but  give  the  Mujik  his  batvina  (salt  grease 
and  honey  boiled  together),  a  loaf  of  black  bread,  and  a 
peck  of  raw  cucumbers,  and  he  is  happy.  Judging  by  ex 
ternal  appearances,  very  little  grease  seems  to  be  wasted 
in  the  manufacture  of  soap.  Indeed,  I  would  not  trust 
one  of  these  Mujiks  to  carry  a  pound  of  soap  any  where 
for  me,  any  more  than  I  would  a  gallon  of  oil  or  a  pound 
of  candles.  Once  I  saw  a  fellow  grease  his  boots  with  a 
lump  of  dirty  fat  which  he  had  picked  up  out  of  the  gut 
ter,  but  he  took  good  care  first  to  extract  from  it  the  rich 
est  part  of  its  essence  by  sucking  it,  and  then  greasing 
his  beard.  The  boots  came  last.  In  all  probability  he 
had  just  dined,  or  he  would  have  pocketed  his  treasure 
for  another  occasion,  instead  of  throwing  the  remnant, 
as  he  did,  to  the  nearest  cat. 

In  respect  to  the  language,  one  might  as  well  be  drop 
ped  down  in  Timbuctoo  as  in  a  village  or  country  town 
of  Russia,  for  all  the  good  the  gift  of  speech  would  do 
him.  It  is  not  harsh,  as  might  be  supposed,  yet  wonder 
fully  like  an  East  India  jungle  when  you  attempt  to  pen 
etrate  it.  I  could  make  better  headway  through  a  boul 
der  of  solid  quartz,  or  the  title  to  my  own  house  and  lot 
in  Oakland.  Now  I  profess  to  be  able  to  see  as  far  into 
a  mill-stone  as  most  people,  but  I  can't  see  in  what  re 
spect  the  Russians  behaved  any  worse  than  other  people 
of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  that  they  should  be  afflicted  with 
a  language  which  nobody  can  hope  to  understand  before 
his  beard  becomes  grizzled,  and  the  top  of  his  head  en 
tirely  bald.  Many  of  the  better  classes,  to  be  sure,  speak 
French  and  German ;  but  even  in  the  streets  of  Moscow 
I  could  seldom  find  any  body  who  could  discover  a  ray 
of  meaning  in  my  French  or  German,  which  is  almost  as 
plain  as  English. 

Some  people  know  what  you  want  by  instinct,  wheth 
er  they  understand  your  language  or  not.  Not  so  the 
Russians.  Ask  for  a  horse,  and  they  wjlL^cobably  offer 


80  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

you  a  fat  goose ;  inquire  the  way  to  your  lodgings,  and 
they  are  just  as  likely  as  not  to  show  you  the  Foundling 
Hospital  or  a  livery-stable ;  go  into  an  old  variety  shop, 
and  express  a  desire  to  purchase  an  Astrakan  breast-pin 
for  your  sweet-heart,  and  the  worthy  trader  hands  you 
a  pair  of  bellows  or  an  old  blunderbuss ;  cast  your  eye 
upon  any  old  market-woman,  and  she  divines  at  once 
that  you  are  in  search  of  a  bunch  of  chickens  or  a  bucket 
of  raw  cucumbers,  and  offers  them  to  you  at  the  lowest 
market-price;  hint  to  a  picture-dealer  that  you  would 
like  to  have  an  authentic  portrait  of  his  imperial  majesty, 
and  he  hands  you  a  picture  of  the  Iberian  Mother,  or  St. 
George  slaying  the  dragon,  or  the  devil  and  all  his  imps ; 
in  short,  you  can  get  any  thing  that  you  don't  want,  and 
nothing  that  you  do.  If  these  people  are  utterly  defi 
cient  in  any  one  quality,  it  is  a  sense  of  fitness  in  things. 
They  take  the  most  inappropriate  times  for  offering  you 
the  most  inappropriate  articles  of  human  use  that  the 
imagination  can  possibly  conceive.  I  was  more  than 
once  solicited  by  the  dealers  in  the  markets  of  Moscow 
to  carry  with  me  a  bunch  of  live  dogs,  or  a  couple  of 
freshly -scalded  pigs,  and  on  one  occasion  was  pressed 
very  hard  to  take  a  brass  skillet  and  a  pair  of  tongs. 
What  could  these  good  people  have  supposed  I  wanted 
with  articles  of  this  kind  on  my  travels  ?  Is  there  any 
thing  in  my  dress  or  the  expression  of  my  countenance 
— I  leave  it  to  all  who  know  me — any  thing  in  the  mild 
ness  of  my  speech  or  the  gravity  of  my  manner,  to  indi 
cate  that  I  am  suffering  particularly  for  bunches  of  dogs 
or  scalded  pigs,  brass  skillets  or  pairs  of  tongs?  Do  I 
look  like  a  man  who  labors  under  a  chronic  destitution 
of  dogs,  pigs,  skillets,  and  tongs  ? 

It  is  quite  natural  that  the  traveler  who  finds  himself 
for  the  first  time  within  the  limits  of  a  purely  despotic 
government  should  look  around  him  with  some  vague 
idea  that  he  must  see  the  effects  strongly  marked  upon 
the  external  life  of  the  people ;  that  the  restraints  im 
posed  upon  popular  liberty  must  be  every  where  appar- 


TiiE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


87 


PIGS,  PUPS,  AND  PANS. 

ent.  So  far  as  any  thing  of  this  kind  may  exist  in  Mos 
cow  or  St.  Petersburg,  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  there  are 
few  cities  in  the  world  where  it  is  less  visible,  or  where 
the  people  seem  more  unrestrained  in  the  exercise  of 
their  popular  freedom.  Indeed,  it  struck  me  rather  forci 
bly,  after  my  experience  in  Vienna  and  Berlin,  that  the 
Russians  enjoy  quite  as  large  a  share  of  practical  inde- 


88  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

pendence  as  most  of  their  neighbors.  I  was  particularly 
impressed  by  the  bold  and  independent  air  of  the  middle 
classes,  the  politeness  with  which  even  the  lower  orders 
address  each  other,  and  the  absence  of  those  petty  and 
vexatious  restraints  which  prevail  in  some  of  the  German 
states.  The  constant  dread  of  infringing  upon  the  police 
regulations;  the  extraordinary  deference  with  which  men 
in  uniform  are  regarded;  the  circumspect  behavior  at 
public  places ;  the  nice  and  well-regulated  mirthfulness, 
never  overstepping  the  strict  bounds  of  prudence,  which 
I  had  so  often  noticed  in  the  northern  parts  of  Germany, 
and  which  may  in  part  be  attributed  to  the  naturally  or 
derly  and  conservative  character  of  the  people,  are  by 
no  means  prominent  features  in  the  principal  cities  of 
Russia. 

Soldiers,  indeed,  there  are  in  abundance  every  where 
throughout  the  dominions  of  the  Czar,  and  the  constant 
rattle  of  musketry  and  clang  of  arms  show  that  the  lib 
erty  of  the  people  is  not  altogether  without  limit. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   NOSE   REGIMENT. 

I  SAW  nothing  in  the  line  of  military  service  that  in 
terested  me  more  than  the  Imperial  Guard.  Without 
vouching  for  the  truth  of  the  whole  story  connected  with 
the  history  of  this  famous  regiment,  I  give  it  as  related 
to  me  by  Dominico,  merely  stating  as  a  fact  within  my 
own  observation  that  there  is  no  question  whatever 
about  the  peculiarity  of  their  features.  It  seems  that 
the  Emperor  Nicholas,  shortly  before  the  Crimean  War, 
discovered  by  some  means  that  the  best  fighting  men  in 
his  dominions  belonged  to  a  certain  wild  tribe  from  the 
north,  distinguished  for  the  extreme  ugliness  of  their 
faces.  The  most  remarkable  feature  was  the  nose,  which 
stood  straight  out  from  the  base  of  the  forehead  in  the 
form  of  a  triangle,  presenting  in  front  the  appearance  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  89 

•a  double-barreled  pistol.  A  stiff  grizzly  mustache  under 
neath  gave  them  a  peculiarly  ferocious  expression,  so 
that  brave  men  quailed,  and  women  and  children  fled 
from  them  in  terror.  The  emperor  gave  orders  that  all 
men  in  the  ranks  possessed  of  these  frightful  noses  should 
be  brought  before  him.  Finding,  when  they  were  mus 
tered  together,  that  there  was  not  over  one  company,  he 
caused  a  general  average  of  the  noses  to  be  taken,  from 
which  he  had  a  diagram  carefully  prepared  and  dissem 
inated  throughout  the  empire,  calling  upon  the  military 
commanders  of  the  provinces  to  send  him  recruits  corre 
sponding  with  the  prescribed  formula. 

In  due  time  he  was  enabled  to  muster  a  thousand  of 
these  ferocious  barbarians,  whom  he  caused  to  be  care 
fully  drilled  and  disciplined.  He  kept  them  in  St.  Pe 
tersburg  under  his  own  immediate  supervision  till  some 
time  after  the  attack  upon  Sebastopol,  when,  finding  the 
fortunes  of  war  likely  to  go  against  him,  he  sent  them 
down  to  the  Crimea,  with  special  instructions  to  the 
commander-in-chief  to  rely  upon  them  in  any  emergen 
cy.  In  compliance  with  the  imperial  order,  they  were 
at  once  placed  in  the  front  ranks,  and  in  a  very  few  days 
had  occasion  to  display  their  fighting  qualities.  At  the 
very  first  onslaught  of  the  enemy  they  stood  their  ground 
manfully  till  the  French  troops  had  approached  within 
ten  feet,  when,  with  one  accord,  they  took  to  their  heels, 
and  never  stopped  running  till  they  were  entirely  out  of 
sight.  It  was  a  disastrous  day  for  the  Russians.  The 
commander-in-chief  was  overwhelmed  with  shame  and 
mortification.  A  detachment  of  cavalry  was  dispatched 
in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  who  were  finally  arrested  in 
their  flight  and  brought  back.  "  Cowards  !"  thundered 
the  enraged  commander,  as  they  stood  drawn  up  before 
him ;  "  miserable  poltroons !  dastards !  is  this  the  way 
you  do  honor  to  your  imperial  master  ?  Am  I  to  report 
to  his  most  potent  majesty  that,  without  striking  one 
blow  in  his  defense,  you  ran  like  sheep?  Wretches, 
what  have  you  to  say  for  yourselves  ?" 


90 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


IMl'KRIAL   NOSEGAY. 


"  May  it  please  your  excellency,"  responded  the  men, 
firmly  and  with  unblenched  faces,  "  we  ran  away,  it  is 
true;  but  we  are  not  cowards.  On  the  contrary,  sire, 
we  are  brave  men,  and  fear  neither  man  nor  beast.  But 
your  excellency  is  aware  that  nature  has  gifted  us  with 
noses  peculiarly  open  to  unusual  impressions.  We  have 


Till:  LAND  OF  THOK.  <M 

smelled  all  the  smells  known  from  the  far  North  to  the 
far  South,  from  the  stewed  rats  of  Moscow  to  the  car 
rion  that  lies  mouldering  upon  the  plains  of  the  Crimea ; 
but,  if  it  please  your  highness,  we  never  smelled  French 
men  before.  There  was  an  unearthly  odor  about  them 
that  filled  our  nostrils,  and  struck  a  mysterious  terror 
into  our  souls." 

"  Fools!"  roared  the  commander-in-chief,  bursting  with 
rage,  "  what  you  smelled  was  nothing  more  than  garlic, 
to  which  these  Frenclmlen  are  addicted." 

"  Call  it  as  you  will,"  firmly  responded  the  men  with 
the  noses,  "  it  was  too  horrible  to  be  endured.  We  are 
willing  to  die  by  the  natural  casualties  of  war,  but  not 
by  unseen  blasts  of  garlic,  against  which  no  human  power 
can  contend." 

"Then,"  cried  the  commander,  in  tones  of  thunder, 
"I'll  see  that  you  die  to-morrow  by  the  natural  casual 
ties  of  war.  You  shall  be  put  in  the  very  front  rank, 
and  care  shall  be  taken  to  have  every  man  of  you  shot 
down  the  moment  you  undertake  to  run." 

On  the  following  day  this  rigorous  order  was  carried 
into  effect.  The  nose  regiment  was  placed  in  front,  and 
the  battle  opened  with  great  spirit.  The  French  troops 
swept  down  upon  them  like  an  avalanche.  For  an  in 
stant  they  looked  behind,  but,  finding  no  hope  of  escape 
in  that  direction,  each  man  of  them  suddenly  grasped  up 
a  handful  of  mud,  and,  dashing  it  over  his  nostrils,  shout 
ed  "Death  to  the  garlic-eaters!"  and  rushed  against  the 
enemy  with  indescribable  ferocity.  Never  before  were 
such  prodigies  of  valor  performed  on  the  field  of  battle. 
The  French  went  down  like  stricken  reeds  before  the 
ferocious  onslaught  of  the  Imperial  Guard.  Their  dead 
bodies  lay  piled  in  heaps  on  the  bloody  field.  The  for 
tunes  of  the  day  were  saved,  and,  panting  and  bleeding, 
the  men  of  Noses  stood  triumphantly  in  the  presence  of 
their  chief.  In  an  ecstasy  of  pride  and  delight  he  com 
plimented  them  upon  their  valor,  and  pronounced  them 
the  brightest  nosegay  in  his  imperial  majesty's  service, 
which  name  they  have  borne  ever  since. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  EMPEROR'S  BEAR-HUNT. 

THE  present  emperor,  Alexander  III.,  is  more  distin 
guished  for  his  liberal  views  respecting  the  rights  of  his 
subjects  than  for  his  military  proclivities.  In  private  life 
he  is  much  beloved,  and  is  said  to  be  a  man  of  very  gen 
ial  social  qualities.  His  predominating  passion  in  this 
relation  is  a  love  of  hunting.  I  have  been  told  that  he 
is  especially  great  on  bears.  With  all  your  experience 
of  this  manly  pastime  in  America,  I  doubt  if  you  can 
form  any  conception  of  the  bear-hunts  in  which  the  Au 
tocrat  of  all  theRussias  has  distinguished  himself.  Any 
body  with  nerve  enough  can  kill  a  grizzly,  but  it  requires 
both  nerve  and  money  to  kill  bears  of  any  kind  in  the 
genuine  autocratic  style.  By  an  imperial  ukase  it  has 
been  ordered  that  when  any  of  the  peasants  or  serfs  dis 
cover  a  bear  within  twenty  versts  of  the  Moscow  and  St. 
Petersburg  Railway,  they  must  make  known  the  fact  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  estate,  whose  duty  it  is  to  communi 
cate  official  information  of  the  discovery  to  the  corre 
sponding  secretary  of  the  Czar.  With  becoming  humil 
ity  the  secretary  announces  the  tidings  to  his  royal  mas 
ter,  who  directs  him  to  advise  the  distant  party  that  his 
majesty  is  much  pleased,  and  will  avail  himself  of  his 
earliest  leisure  to  proceed  to  the  scene  of  action.  In  the 
mean  time  the  entire  available  force  of  the  estate  is  set 
to  work  to  watch  the  bear,  and  from  three  to  five  hund 
red  men,  armed  with  cudgels,  tin  pans,  old  kettles,  drums, 
etc.,  are  stationed  in  a  circle  around  him.  Dogs  also  are 
employed  upon  this  important  service.  The  advance 
trains,  under  the  direction  of  the  master  hunter,  having 
deposited  their  stores  of  wines,  cordials,  and  provisions, 
and  telegraphic  communications  being  transmitted  to 
head-quarters  from  time  to  time,  it  is  at  length  privately 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  93 

announced  that  his  imperial  majesty  has  condescended 
to  honor  the  place  with  his  presence,  and,  should  the 
saints  not  prove  averse,  will  be  there  with  his  royal  par 
ty  at  the  hour  and  on  the  day  specified  in  the  imperial 
dispatch.  The  grand  convoy  is  then  put  upon  the  track ; 
dispatches  are  transmitted  to  all  the  stations;  officers, 
soldiers,  and  guards  are  required  to  be  in  attendance  to 
do  honor, to  their  sovereign  master — privately,  of  course, 
as  this  is  simply  an  unofficial  affair  which  nobody  is  sup 
posed  to  know  any  thing  about.  The  emperor,  having 
selected  his  chosen  few  —  that  is  to  say,  half  a  dozen 
princes,  a  dozen  dukes,  a  score  or  two  or'  counts  and 
barons — all  fine  fellows  and  genuine  bloods  —  proceeds 
unostentatiously  to  the  depot  in  his  hunting-carriage  (a 
simple  little  affair,  manufactured  at  a  cost  of  only  forty 
thousand  rubles  or  so),  where  he  is  astonished  to  see  a 
large  concourse  of  admiring  subjects,  gayly  interspersed 
with  soldiers,  all  accidentally  gathered  there  to  see  him 
off.  Now  hats  are  removed,  bows  are  made,  suppressed 
murmurs  of  delight  run  through  the  crowd  ;  the  locomo 
tive  whizzes  and  fizzes  with  impatience ;  bells  are  rung, 
arms  are  grounded ;  the  princes,  dukes,  and  barons — 
jolly  fellows  as  they  are — laugh  and  joke  just  like  com 
mon  people ;  bells  ring  again  and  whistles  blow ;  a  sig 
nal  is  made,  and  the  Autocrat  of  all  the  Russias  is  off  on 
his  bear-hunt ! 

In  an  hour,  or  two  or  three  hours,  as  the  case  may  be, 
the  royal  hunters  arrive  at  the  destined  station.  Should 
the  public  business  be  pressing,  it  is  not  improbable  the 
emperor,  availing  himself  of  the  conveniences  provided 
for  him  by  Winans  and  Co.,  in  whose  magnificent  pres 
ent  of  a  railway  carriage  he  travels,  has  in  the  mean  time 
dispatched  a  fleet  of  vessels  to  Finland,  ten  or  a  dozen 
extra  regiments  of  Cossacks  to  Warsaw,  closed  upon 
terms  for  a  loan  of  fifty  millions,  banished  various  objec 
tionable  parties  to  the  deserts  of  Siberia,  and  partaken 
of  a  game  or  two  of  whist  with  his  camarilla.. 

But  now  the  important  affair  of  the  day  is  at  hand — 


04  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

the  bear — the  terrible  black  bear,  which  every  body  is 
fully  armed  and  equipped  to  kill,  but  which  every  body 
knows  by  instinct  is  going  to  be  killed  by  the  emperor, 
because  of  his  majesty's  superior  skill  and  courage  on 
trying  occasions  of  this  sort.  What  a  blessing  it  is  to 
possess  such  steadiness  of  nerve !  I  would  not  hesitate 
one  moment  to  attack  the  most  ferocious  grizzly  in  ex 
istence  if  I  felt  half  as  much  confidence  in  my  ability  to 
kill  it.  But  the  carriages  are  waiting;  the  horses  are 
prancing ;  the  hunters  are  blowing  their  fugles ;  the 
royal  party  are  mounting  on  horseback  or  in  their  car 
riages,  as  best  may  suit  their  taste,  and  the  signal  is 
given!  A  salute  is  fired  by  the  Guard,  huzzas  ring 
through  the  air,  and  the  Czar  of  all  the  Russias  is  fairly 
off  on  his  hunt.  Trees  fly  by;  desert  patches  of  ground 
whirl  from  under ;  versts  are  as  nothing  to  these  spirited 
steeds  and  their  spirited  masters,  and  in  an  hour  or  so 
the  grand  scene  of  action  is  reached.  Here  couriers 
stand  ready  to  conduct  the  imperial  hunters  into  the 
very  jaws  of  death.  The  noble  proprietor  himself,  bare 
headed,  greets  the  royal  pageant ;  the  serfs  bow  down 
in  Oriental  fashion ;  the  dashing  young  Czar  touches  his 
hunting-cap  in  military  style  and  waves  his  hand  gallant 
ly  to  the  ladies  of  the  household,  who  are  peeping  at  him 
from  their  carriages  in  the  distance.  Once  more  the 

CD 

bugle  is  sounded,  and  away  they  dash — knights,  nobles, 
and  all — the  handsome  and  gallant  Czar  leading  the  way 
by  several  lengths.  Soon  the  terrific  cry  is  heard — 
"Halt!  the  bear!  the  bear!  Halt!"  Shut  your  eyes, 
reader,  for  you  never  can  stand  such  a  sight  as  that — a 
full-grown  black  bear,  not  two  hundred  yards  off,  in  the 
middle  of  an  open  space,  surrounded  by  five  hundred 
men  hidden  behind  trees  and  driving  him  back  from  ev 
ery  point  where  he  attempts  to  escape.  You  don't  see 
the  men,  but  you  hear  them  shouting  and  banging  upon 
their  pots,  pans,  and  kettles.  Now  just  open  one  eye 
and  sec  the  emperor  dismount  from  his  famous  charter, 
and  deliver  the  rein  to  a  dozen  domestics,  deliberately 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR.  95 

cock  his  rifle,  and  fearlessly  get  behind  the  nearest  tree 
within  the  range  of  the  bear.  By  this  time  you  perceive 
that  Bruin  is  dancing  a  pas  seul  on  his  hind  legs,  utterly 
confounded  with  the  noises  around  him.  Shut  your  eyes 
again,  for  the  emperor  is  taking  his  royal  aim,  and  will 
presently  crack  away  with  his  royal  rifle.  Hist!  trig 
gers  are  clicking  around  you  in  every  direction,  but  you 
needn't  be  the  least  afraid,  for,  although  the  bear  is  cov 
ered  by  a  reserve  of  forty  rifles,  not  one  of  the  hunters 
has  nerve  enough  to  shoot  unless  officially  authorized  or 
personally  desirous  of  visiting  the  silver-mines  of  Siberia. 
Crack !  thug !  The  smoke  clears  away.  By  Jove  !  his 
imperial  majesty  has  done  it  cleverly ;  hit  the  brute 
plumb  on  the  os  froutis,  or  through  the  heart,  it  makes 
no  difference  which.  Down  drops  Bruin,  kicking  and 
tearing  up  the  earth  at  a  dreadful  rate ;  cheers  rend  the 
welkin  ;  pots,  pans,  and  kettles  are  banged.  High  above 
all  rises  the  stern  voice  of  the  autocrat,  calling  for  an 
other  rifle,  which  is  immediately  handed  to  him.  Hu 
manity  requires  that  he  should  at  once  put  an  end  to  the 
poor  animal's  sufferings,  and  he  does  it^with  his  accus 
tomed  skill. 

Now  the  bear  having  kicked  his  last,  an  intrepid  hunt 
er  charges  up  to  the  spot  on  horseback,  whirls  around  it 
two  or  three  times,  carefully  examines  the  body  with  an 
opera-glass,  returns,  and,  approaching  the  royal  presence 
with  uncovered  head,  delivers  himself  according  to  this 
formula :  "  May  it  please  your  most  gallant  and  imperial 
majesty,  THE  BEAR  is  DEAD  !"  The  emperor  sometimes 
responds,  "  Is  he  ?"  but  usually  contents  himself  by  wav 
ing  his  hand  in  an  indifferent  manner,  puffing  his  cigar, 
and  calling  for  his  horse.  Sixteen  grooms  immediately 
rush  forward  with  his  majesty's  horse ;  and,  being  still 
young  and  vigorous,  he  mounts  without  difficulty,  unaid 
ed  except  by  Master  of  Stirrups.  Next  he  draws  an 
ivory-handled  revolver — a  present  from  Colt,  of  New 
York — and,  dashing  fearlessly  upon  the  bear,  fires  six 
shots  into  the  dead  body ;  upon  which  he  coolly  dis- 


96  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

mounts,  and  pulling  forth  from  the  breast  of  his  hunting- 
coat  an  Arkansas  bowie-knife — a  present  from  the  poet 
Albert  Pike,  of  Little  Rock — plunges  that  dangerous 
weapon  into  the  bowels  of  the  dead  bear ;  then  rising  to 
his  full  height,  with  a  dark  and  stern  countenance,  he 
holds  the  blood-dripping  blade  high  in  the  air,  so  that  all 
may  see  it,  and  utters  one  wild  stentorian  and  terrific 
shout, "  Harasho !  harasho !"  signifying  in  English, "  Good ! 
very  well !"  The  cry  is  caught  up  by  the  princes  and 
nobles,  who,  with  uncovered  heads,  now  crowd  around 
their  gallant  emperor,  and  waving  their  hats,  likewise 
shout  "  Harasho  !  harasho  !"  —  "  Good  !  very  well !" 
Then  the  five  hundred  peasants  rush  in  with  their  tin 
pans,  kettles,  and  drums,  and  amid  the  most  amazing  din 
catch  up  the  inspiring  strain,  and  deafen  every  ear  with 
their  wild  shouts  of  "Harasho!  harasho!" — "Good! 
very  well !"  Upon  which  the  emperor,  rapidly  mount 
ing,  places  a  finger  in  each  ear,  and,  still  puffing  his  ci 
gar,  rides  triumphantly  away. 

The  bear  is  hastily  gutted  and  dressed  with  flowers. 
When  all  is  really  the  royal  party  return  to  the  railroad 
depot  in  a  long  procession,  headed  by  his  majesty,  and 
brought  up  in  the  rear  by  the  dead  body  of  Bruin  borne 
on  poles  by  six -and -twenty  powerful  serfs.  Refresh 
ments  in  the  mean  time  have  been  administered  to  every 
body  of  high  and  low  degree,  and  by  the  time  they  reach 
the  depot  there  are  but  two  sober  individuals  in  the  en 
tire  procession — his  royal  majesty  and  the  bear.  Far 
ther  refreshments  are  administered  all  round  during  the 
journey  back  to  St.  Petersburg,  and,  notwithstanding  he 
is  rigidly  prohibited  by  his  physician  from  the  use  of 
stimulating  beverages,  it  is  supposed  that  a  reaction  has 
now  taken  place,  which  renders  necessary  a  modification 
of  the  medical  ukase.  At  all  events,  I  am  told  the  bear 
is  sometimes  the  only  really  steady  member  of  the  party 
by  the  time  the  imperial  pageant  reaches  the  palace. 
When  the  usual  ceremonies  of  congratulation  ai;e  over, 
a  merry  dance  winds  up  the  evening.  After  this  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  97 

company  disperses  to  prayer  and  slumber,  and  thus  ends 
the  great  bear-hunt  of  his  majesty  the  Autocrat  of  all 
the  Kussias. 


CHAPTER  XL 

RUSSIAN     HUM  OK. 

THE  Russians  have  little  or  no  humor,  though  they 
are  not  deficient  in  a  certain  grotesque  savagery  bor 
dering  on  the  humorous.  There  is  something  fearfully 
vicious  in  the  royal  freaks  of  fancy  of  which  Russian 
history  furnishes  us  so  many  examples.  We  read  with 
a  shudder  of  the  facetious  compliment  paid  to  the  Ital 
ian  architect  by  Ivan  the  Terrible,  who  caused  the  poor 
man's  eyes  to  be  put  out  that  he  might  never  see  to 
build  another  church  so  beautiful  as  that  of  St.  Basil. 
We  can  not  but  smile  at  the  grim  humor  of  Peter  the 
Great,  who,  upon  seeing  a  crowd  of  men  with  wigs  and 
gowns  at  Westminster  Hall,  and  being  informed  that 
they  were  lawyers,  observed  that  he  had  but  two  in  his 
whole  empire,  and^he  believed  he  would  hang  one  of 
them  ^s  soon  as  he  got  home.  A  still  more  striking 
though  less  ghastly  freak  of  fancy  was  that  perpetrated 
by  the  Empress  Anne  of  Courland,  who,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  marriage  of  her  favorite  buifoon,  Galitzin,  caused 
a  palace  of  ice  to  be  built,  with  a  bed  of  the  same  ma 
terial,  in  which  she  compelled  the  happy  pair  to  pass 
their  wedding  night.  The  Empress  Catharine  II.,  a 
Pomeranian  by  birth,  but  thoroughly  Russian  in  her 
morals,  possessed  a  more  ardent  temperament.  What 
time  she  did  not  spend  in  gratifying  her  ambition  by 
slaughtering  men,  she  spent  in  loving  them : 

"For,  though  she  would  widow  all 
Nations,  she  liked  man  as  an  individual." 

She  never  dismissed  an  old  admirer  until  she  had  se 
cured  several  new  ones,  and  generally  consoled  those 
who  had  served  her  by  a  present  of  twenty  or  thirty 

E 


98  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

thousand  serfs.  On  the  death  of  Lanskoi,  it  is  recorded 
of  her  that  "she  gave  herself  up  to  the  most  poignant 
grief,  and  remained  three  months  without  going  out  of 
her  palace  of  Czarsko  Selo,"  thus  perpetrating  a  very  cu 
rious  practical  satire  upon  the  holiest  of  human  affec 
tions.  Her  grenadier  lover  Potemkin,  according  to  the 
character  given  of  him  by  the  Count  Segur,  was  little 
better  than  a  gigantic  and  savage  buffoon — licentious 
and  superstitious,  bold  and  timid  by  turn's — sometimes 
desiring  to  be  King  of  Poland,  at  others  a  bishop  or  a 
monk.  Of  him  we  read  that  "  he  put  out  an  eye  to  free 
it  from  a  blemish  which  diminished  his  beauty.  Ban 
ished  by  his  rival,  he  ran  to  meet  death  in  battle,  and  re 
turned  with  glory."  Another  pleasant  little  jest  wras 
that  perpetrated  by  Suwarrow,  who,  after  the  bloody 
battle  of  Tourtourskaya,  announced  the  result  to  his 
mistress  in  an  epigram  of  two  doggerel  lines.  This  was 
the  terrible  warrior  who  used  to  sleep  almost  naked  in 
a  room  of  suffocating  heat,  and  rush  out  to  review  his 
troops  in  a  linen  jacket,  with  the  thermometer  of  Reau 
mur  ten  degrees  below  freezing  point.  Of  the  Emper 
or  Paul,  the  son  of  Catharine,  we  read  that  he  issued 
a  ukase  against  the  use  of  shoe-strings  and  round  hats ; 
caused  all  the  watch-boxes,  gates,  and  bridges  through 
out  the  empire  to  be  painted  in  the  most  glaring  and 
fantastic  colors,  and  passed  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
time  riding  on  a  wooden  rocking-horse — a  degenerate 
practice  for  a  scion  of  the  bold  Catharine,  who  used  to 
dress  herself  in  men's  clothes,  and  ride  a-straddle  on  the 
back  of  a  live  horse  to  review  her  troops.  Alexander  I., 
in  his  ukase  of  September,  1827,  perpetrated  a  very  fine 
piece  of  Russian  humor.  The  period  of  military  service 
for  serfs  is  fixed  at  twenty  years  in  the  Imperial  Guard, 
and  twenty-two  in  other  branches  of  the  service.  It  is 
stated  in  express  terms  that  the  moment  a  serf  becomes 
enrolled  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  he  is  free !  But  he 
must  not  desert,  for  if  he  does  he  becomes  a  slave  again. 
This  idea  of  freedom  is  really  refreshing.  Only  twenty 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  99 

or  twenty-two  years  of  the  gentle  restraints  of  Russian 
military  discipline  to  be  enjoyed  after  becoming  a  free 
agent !  Then  he  may  go  off  (at  the  -age  of  fifty  or  sixty, 
say),  unless  disease  or  gunpowder  has  carried  him  off 
long  before,  to  enjoy  the  sweets  of  hard  labor  in  some 
agreeable  desert,  or  the  position  of  a  watchman  on  the 
frontiers  of  Siberia,  where  the  climate  is  probably  con 
sidered  salubrious. 

These  may  be  considered  royal  or  princely  vagaries, 
in  which  great  people  are  privileged  to  indulge ;  but  I 
think  it  will  be  found  that  the  same  capricious  savagery 
of  humor — if  I  may  so  call  it — prevails  to  some  extent 
among  all  classes  of  Russians.  In  some  instances  it  can 
scarcely  be  associated  with  any  idea  of  mirthfulness,  yet 
in  the  love  of  strange,  startling,  and  incongruous  ideas 
there  is  something  bordering  on  the  humorous.  On 
Recollection  Monday,  for  example,  the  mass  of  the  peo 
ple  go  out  into  the  grave-yards,  and,  spreading  table 
cloths  on  the  mounds  that  cover  the  dead  bodies  of 
their  relatives,  drink  quass  and  vodka  to  the  health  of 
the  deceased,  saying,  "Since  the  dead  are  unable  to 
drink,  the  living  must  drink  for  them !"  Rather  a  grave 
excuse,  one  must  think,  for  intoxication. 

In  the  museum  of  Peter  the  Great  at  St.  Petersburg 
stands  the  stuffed  skin  of  his  favorite  servant — a  gigantic 
Holsteiner — one  of  the  most  ghastly  of  all  the  grotesque 
and  ghastly  relics  in  that  remarkable  institution.  It  is 
not  a  very  agreeable  subject  for  the  pencil  of  an  artist, 
yet  there  is  something  so  original  in  the  idea  of  stuffing 
a  human  being  and  putting  him  up  for  exhibition  before 
the  public  that  I  am  constrained  to  introduce  the  follow 
ing  sketch  of  this  strange  spectacle. 

In  one  of  the  arsenals  is  an  eagle  made  of  gun-flints, 
with  swords  for  wings,  daggers  for  feathers,  and  the 
mouths  of  cannons  for  eyes.  A  painting  of  the  Strelitzes, 
in  another,  represents  heaven  as  containing  the  Russian 
priests  and  all  the  faithful ;  while  the  other  place — a  re 
gion  of  fire  and  brimstone — contains  Jews,  Tartars,  Ger 
mans,  and  negroes ! 


100 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


8KINMEJJ    AND    BTL'Fl  KU    MAN. 


The  winter  markets  of  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg 
present  some  of  the  most  cadaverous  specimens  of  the 
startling  humor  in  which  the  Russians  delight.  Here 
you  find  frozen  oxen,  calves,  sheep,  rabbits,  geese,  ducks, 
and  all  manner  of  animals  and  birds,  once  animate  with 
life,  now  stiff  and  stark  in  death.  The  oxen  stand  star 
ing  at  you  with  their  fixed  eyes  and  gory  carcasses ;  the 
calves  are  jumping  or  frisking  in  skinless  innocence ;  the 


102  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

sheep  ba-a  at  you  with  open  mouths,  or  cast  sheep's-eyc^ 
at  the  by-passers ;  the  rabbits,  having  traveled  hundreds 
of  miles,  are  jumping,  or  running,  or  turning  somersaults 
in  frozen  tableaux  to  keep  themselves  warm,  and  so  on 
with  every  variety  of  flesh,  fowl,  and  even  fish.  The 
butchers  cut  short  these  expressive  practical  witticisms 
by  means  of  saws,  as  one  might  saw  a  block  of  wood ; 
and  the  saw-dust,  which  is  really  frozen  flesh  and  blood 
in  a  powdered  state,  is  gathered  up  in  baskets  and  car 
ried  away  by  the  children  and  ragamuffins  to  be  made 
into  soup. 

I  can  conceive  of  nothing  humorous  in  these  people 
which  is  not  associated  in  some  way  with  the  cruel  and 
the  grotesque.  They  have  many  noble  and  generous 
traits,  but  lack  delicacy  of  feeling.  Where  the  range  of 
the  thermometer  is  from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fif 
ty  degrees  6*f  Fahrenheit,  their  character  must  partake  in 
some  sort  of  the  qualities  of  the  climate — fierce,  rigor 
ous,  and  pitiless  in  its  wintry  aspect,  and  without  the 
compensating  and  genial  tenderness  of  spring ;  fitful  and 
passionate  as  the  scorching  heats  of  summer,  and  dark, 
stormy,  and  dreary  as  the  desolation  of  autumn. 

I  could  not  but  marvel,  as  I  sat  in  some  of  the  com 
mon  traktirs,  at  the  extraordinary  affection  manifested 
by  the  Russians  for  cats.  It  appeared  to  me  that  the 
proprietors  must  keep  a  feline  corps  expressly  for  the 
amusement  of  their  customers.  At  one  of  these  places 
I  saw  at  least  forty  cats,  of  various  breeds,  from  the  con 
fines  of  Tartary  to  the  city  ofrParis.  They  were  up 
on  the  tables,  on  the  benches,  on  the  floor,  under  the 
benches,  on  the  backs  of  the  tea-drinkers,  in  their  laps, 
in  their  arms — every  where.  I  strongly  suspected  that 
they  answered  the  purpose  of  waiters,  and  that  the 
owner  relied  upon  them  to  keep  the  plates  clean.  Pos 
sibly,  too,  they  were  made  available  as  musicians.  I 
have  a  notion  the  Russians  entertain  the  same  supersti 
tious  devotion  to  cats  that  the  Banyans  of  India  do  to 
cows,  and  the  French  and  Germans  to  nasty  little  poo- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


103 


-Ml'.UK    AN1>    CATS. 


dies.  To  see  a  great  shaggy  boor,  his  face  dripping 
with  grease,  his  eyes  swimming  in  vodka,  sit  all  doubled 
up,  fondling  and  caressing  these  feline  pets;  holding 
them  in  his  hands;  pressing  their  velvety  fur  to  his 
eyes,  cheeks,  even  his  lips;  listening  with  delight  to 
their  screams  and  squalls,  is  indeed  a  curious  spectacle. 
Now  I  have  no  unchristian  feeling  toward  any  of  the 


104  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

brute  creation,  but  I  don't  affect  cats.  Nor  can  I  say 
that  I  greatly  enjoy  their  music.  I  heard  the  very  best 
bands  of  tom-cats  every  night  during  my  sojourn  in 
Moscow,  and  consider  them  utterly  deficient  in  style  and 
execution.  It  belongs,  I  think,  to  the  Music  of  Futurity, 
so  much  discussed  by  the  critics  of  Europe  during  the 
past  few  years — a  peculiar  school  of  and- melody  that 
requires  people  yet  to  be  born  to  appreciate  it  thorough 
ly.  The  discords  may  be  very  fine,  and  the  passion  very 
striking  and  tempestuous,  but  it  is  worse  than  thrown 
away  on  an  uncultivated  ear  like  mine. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A   MYSTERIOUS   ADVENTUEE. 

THE  police  of  Moscow  are  not  an  attractive  class  of 
men,  considering  them  in  the  light  of  guardians  of  the  law. 
With  a  good  deal  of  pomposity  and  laziness,  they  mingle 
much  filth  and  rascality.  The  emperor  may  have  great 
confidence  in  them,  based  upon  some  knowledge  of  their 
talents  and  virtues  not  shared  by  casual  tourists ;  but  if 
he  would  trust  one  of  them  with  ten  kopeks,  or  agree 
to  place  the  life  of  any  intimate  personal  friend  in  their 
keeping,  in  any  of  the  dark  alleys  of  Moscow,  his  faith  in 
their  integrity  and  humanity  must  be  greater  than  mine. 
Indeed,  upon  casting  around  me  in  search  of  a  parallel,  I 
am  not  quite  sure  that  I  ever  saw  such  a  scurvy  set  of 
vagabonds  employed  to  preserve  the  public  peace  in  any 
other  country,  except,  perhaps,  in  Spain.  The  guardians 
of  the  law  in  Cadiz  and  Seville  are  dark  and  forbidding 
enough  in  all  conscience,  and  unscrupulous  enough  to 
turn  a  penny  in  any  way  not  requiring  the  exercise  of 
personal  energy;  and  the  police  of  Barcelona  are  not  in 
ferior  in  all  that  constitutes  moral  turpitude,  but  they 
can  not  surpass  the  Moscovites  in  filthiness  of  person  or 
any  of  the  essential  attributes  of  villainy. 

I  have  it  upon  good  authority  that  they  are  the  very 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  105 

worst  set  of  thieves  in  the  place,  and  that  they  will  not 
hesitate  to  unite  with  any  midnight  prowler  for  the  pur 
pose  of  robbing  a  stranger.  True,  they  did  not  rob  me, 
but  the  reason  of  that  is  obvious.  I  gave  them  to  un 
derstand  at  the  start  that  I  was  connected  with  the 
press.  You  seldom  hear  of  a  writer  for  newspapers  be 
ing  robbed ;  and  if  such  a  thing  ever  does  happen,  the 
amount  taken  is  never  large. 

As  a  consequence  of  this  proclivity  for  ill-gotten  gains 
on  the  part  of  the  guardians  of  the  law,  it  is  unsafe  for  a 
stranger  to  go  through  the  less  frequented  streets  of 
Moscow  at  night.  Should  he  chance  to  be  stopped  by 
two  or  three  footpads  and  call  for  help,  he  will  doubtless 
wake  up  some  drowsy  guardian  of  the  law,  but  the  help 
will  be  all  against  him.  Instances  have  been  related  to 
me  of  robberies  in  which  the  police  were  the  most  active 
assailants,  the  robbers  merely  standing  by  for  their  share 
of  the  plunder.  Should  the  unfortunate  victim  knock 
down  a  footpad  or  two  in  self-defense,  it  is  good  ground 
for  an  arrest,  and  both  robbers  and  policemen  become 
witnesses  against  him.  A  man  had  better  get  involved 
in  a  question  of  title  to  his  property  before  the  courts  of 
California  than  be  arrested  for  assault  and  battery,  and 
carried  before  any  of  the  civil  tribunals  in  Russia.  There 
is  no  end  of  the  law's  delays  in  these  institutions,  and  his 
only  chance  of  justice  is  to  get  his  case  before  the  em 
peror,  who  is  practically  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  em 
pire.  Otherwise  the  really  aggrieved  party  must  pay  a 
fine  for  defending  himself,  and  support  the  assaulted  man, 
whose  nose  he  may  have  battered,  during  an  unlimited 
period  at  the  hospital,  together  with  physician's  fees  for 
:ill  the  real  or  imaginary  injuries  inflicted.  I  met  with  a 
young  American  who  was  followed  by  a  stalwart  ruffian 
one  night  in  returning  from  one  of  the  public  gardens. 
The  man  dogged  his  footsteps  for  some  time.  At  length, 
there  being  nobody  near  to  render  aid,  the  robber  mus 
tered  courage  enough  to  seize  hold  and  attempt  to  in 
timidate  his  supposed  victim  by  brandishing  a  knife. 

E  2 


106  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

He  came  from  a  country  where  they  were  not  uncom 
mon,  and,  besides,  was  an  adept  on  the  shoulder.  With 
a  sudden  jerk  he  freed  himself,  and,  hauling  off  a  little, 
gave  his  assailant  a  note  of  hand  that  knocked  him  down. 
I  am  not  versed  in  the  classics  of  the  ring,  or  I  would 
make  something  out  of  this  fight.  The  pad  dropped  like 
a  stricken  ox,  his  knife  flying  picturesquely  through  the 
silvery  rays  of  the  moon.  Next  moment  he  was  on  his 
feet  again,  the  claret  shining  beautifully  on  his  cheeks  and 
beard.  Throwing  out  his  claws  like  a  huge  grizzly,  he 
rushed  in,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  swearing  horribly. 
This  time  our  friend  was  fairly  aroused,  and  th*e  wretch 
promptly  measured  his  length  on  the  ground.  Thinking 
he  had  scattered  it  on  rather  heavy,  the  American  stoop 
ed  down  to  see  how  matters  stood,  when  the  fellow 
grasped  him  by  the  coat  and  commenced  shouting  with 
all  his  might  for  the  police — "Help!  help!  murder! 
murder!"  There  was  no  remedy  but  to  silence  him, 
which  our  friend  dexterously  accomplished  by  a  blow  on 
the  os  frontis.  Hearing  the  approaching  footsteps  of 
the  police,  he  then  concluded  it  was  best  to  make  his 
escape,  and  accordingly  took  to  his  heels.  Chase  was 
given,  but  he  was  as  good  at  running  as  he  was  at  the 
noble  art  of  self-defense,  and  soon  distanced  his  pursuers. 
Fortunately,  he  reached  his  quarters  without  being  rec 
ognized.  This  was  all  that  saved  him  from  arrest  and 
imprisonment,  or  the  payment  of  a  fine  for  the  assault. 

A  common  practice,  as  I  was  informed,  is  to  arrest  a 
stranger  for  some  alleged  breach  of  the  law,  such  as 
smoking  a  cigar  in  the  streets,  or  using  disrespectful  lan 
guage  toward  the  constituted  authorities.  Not  being  ac 
customed  to  the  intricacies  of  a  Russian  judiciary,  it  is  dif 
ficult,  when  once  the  matter  comes  before  a  tribunal  of 
justice,  for  a  foreigner  to  rebut  the  testimony  brought 
against  him ;  and  if  he  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  away,  his 
only  course  is  to  bribe  the  parties  interested  in  his  de 
tention.  It  would  be  unjust  to  say  that  this  system  pre 
vails  universally  throughout  Russia.  There  is  a  small 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  107 

circle  around  the  imperial  presence  said  to  be  exempt 
from  corruption ;  and  there  may  possibly  be  a  few  digni 
taries  of  the  government,  in  remote  parts  of  the  empire, 
who  will  not  tell  an  untruth  unless  in  their  official  corre 
spondence,  or  steal  except  to  make  up  what  they  con 
sider  due  to  them  for  public  services;  but  the  circle  of 
immaculate  ones  is  very  small,  and  commences  very  near 
the  Czar,  and  the  other  exceptions  referred  to  are  ex 
ceedingly  rare.  Thieving  may  be  said  to  begin  within 
gunshot  of  the  capital,  and  to  attain  its  culminating  ex 
cellences  on  the  confines  of  Tartary.  The  difference  is 
only  in  degree  between  the  higher  and  the  lower  grades 
of  officers.  Hence,  although  it  is  quite  possible  to  ob 
tain  full  reparation  for  an  injury  before  the  Czar,  through 
the  intervention  of  a  consul  or  a  minister,  it  is  a  vexa 
tious  and  expensive  mode  of  proceeding,  and  would  only 
result  at  last  in  the  transportation  of  some  miserable 
wretch  to  the  mines  of  Siberia.  Of  course  no  man  with 
a  spark  of  feeling  would  like  to  see  a  poor  fellow-crea 
ture  go  there.  For  my  part,  I  would  rather  suffer  any 
amount  of  injustice  than  be  the  cause  of  sending  a  fel 
low-mortal  on  so  long  and  dreary  a  journey. 

The  whole  bearing  of  which  you  will  presently  dis 
cover.  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  very  singular  adventure 
that  befell  me  in  Moscow.  Do  not  be  impatient ;  it  will 
all  come  in  due  time.  A  few  dashes  of  preliminary  de 
scription  will  be  necessary,  by  way  of  introduction,  oth 
erwise  it  would  be  impossible  to  comprehend  the  full 
scope  and  purpose  of  my  narrative.  If  you  be  of  the 
rougher  mould,  cherished  reader,  just  cast  yourself  back 
somewhere  at  your  ease,  take  this  most  excellently  print 
ed  book  deftly  between  your  fingers,  with  a  good  cigar 
between  your  teeth ;  throw  your  legs  over  your  desk,  a 
gunny-bag,  a  fence-rail,  or  the  mantel-piece  of  the  bar 
room,  as  the  case  may  be ;  give  me  the  benefit  of  your 
friendship  and  confidence,  and  read  away  at  your  leisure. 
But  if  you  be  one  of  those  gentle  beings  placed  upon 
earth  to  diffuse  joy  and  happiness  over  the  desert  of 


108  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

life,  I  pray  you  consider  me  a  serf  at  your  imperial  foot 
stool  ;  bend  on  me  those  tender  eyes ;  and  with  the 
mingled  respect  and  admiration  due  by  all  men  to  fe 
male  loveliness,  I  shall  proceed  at  once  to  tell  you  (con 
fidentially  of  course) 

A    MYSTERIOUS    ADVENTURE. 

It  so  happened  in  Moscow  that  I  fell  in  with  a  very 
pleasant  and  sociable  party  of  Americans,  several  of 
whom  were  in  the  railway  service,  and  therefore  might 
reasonably  be  regarded  as  fast  young  gentlemen,  though 
far  be  it  from  me  to  imply  any  thing  injurious  to  their 
reputation.  Beyond  an  excessive  passion  for  tea,  ac 
quired  by  long  residence  in  Moscow,  I  do  not  know  that 
a  single  one  of  them  was  at  all  dissipated.  When  I  first 
called  at  the  rooms  of  these  lively  countrymen,  they  im 
mediately  got  out  their  tea-urns,  and  assured  me  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  comprehend  any  thing  of  Rus 
sian  life  till  I  had  partaken  freely  of  Russian  tea,  there 
fore  I  was  obliged  to  drink  five  or  six  glasses  by  way 
of  a  beginning.  Having  freely  discussed  the  aifairs  of 
the  American  nation  at  one  room,  we  adjourned  to  an 
other,  where  we  had  a  fresh  supply  of  tea ;  and  then, 
after  settling  the  rebellion  to  our  common  satisfaction, 
adjourned  to  another,  and  so  on  throughout  the  best 
part  of  the  day.  Sometimes  we  stopped  in  at  a  traktir 
and  had  a  portion  or  two,  dashed  with  a  little  Cognac, 
which  my  friends  assured  me  would  prevent  it  from 
having  any  injurious  effect  upon  the  nervous  system. 
In  this  way,  within  a  period  of  twelve  hours,  owing  to 
the  kindness  and  hospitality  of  these  agreeable  Ameri 
cans,  who  insisted  upon  treating  me  to  tea,  in  public  and 
in  private,  at  every  turn  of  our  rambles,  I  must  have 
swallowed  a  gallon  or  two  of  this  delicious  beverage. 
The  weather  was  exceedingly  warm,  but  these  experi 
enced  gentlemen  insisted  upon  it  that  Russian  tea  was 
a  sovereign  antidote  for  warm  weather,  especially  when 
dashed  with  Cognac,  as  it  drove  all  the  caloric  out  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  109 

the  body  through  the  pores  of  the  skin.  "Don't  be 
afraid!"  said  they,  encouragingly;  "  drink  just  as  much 
as  you  please — it  will  cool  you !  .  See  how  the  Russians 
drink  it.  Nothing  else  enables  them  to  stand  these  fiery 
hot  summers  after  their  polar  winters !"  Well,  I  didn't 
feel  exactly  cool,  with  thirty  or  forty  tumblers  of  boil 
ing  hot  tea,  dashed  with  Cognac,  in  my  veins,  but  what 
was  the  use  of  remonstrating  ?  They  lived  in  Moscow 
— they  knew  better  than  I  did  what  was  good  for  stran 
gers —  so  I  kept  on  swallowing  a  little  more,  just  to 
oblige  them,  till  I  verily  believe,  had  any  body  stuck  a 
pin  in  me,  or  had  I  undertaken  to  make  a  speech,  I  would 
have  spouted  Russian  tea. 

Why  is  it  that  the  moment  any  body  wants  to  ren 
der  you  a  service,  or  manifest  some  token  of  friendship, 
he  commences  by  striking  at  the  very  root  of  your  di 
gestive  functions  ?  Is  it  not  exacting  a  little  too  much 
of  human  nature  to  require  a  man  to  consider  himself  a 
large  sponge,  in  order  that  hospitality  may  be  poured 
into  him  by  the  gallon  ?  When  a  person  of  pliant  and 
amiable  disposition  visits  a  set  of  good  fellows,  and  they 
take  some  trouble  to  entertain  him ;  when  they  think 
they  are  delighting  him  internally  and  externally — not 
to  say  infernally — with  such  tea  as  he  never  drank  be 
fore,  it  is  hard  to  refuse.  The  moral  courage  necessary 
for  the  peremptory  rejection  of  such  advances  would 
make  a  hero.  Thus  it  has  ever  been  with  me  —  I  am 
the  victim  of  misplaced  hospitality.  It  has  been  the  be 
setting  trouble  of  my  life.  I  remember  once  eating  a 
Nantucket  pudding  to  oblige  a  lady.  It  was  made  of 
corn-meal  and  molasses,  with  some  diabolical  compound 
in  the  way  of  sauce — possibly  whale-oil  and  tar.  I  had 
just  eaten  a  hearty  dinner;  but  the  lady  insisted  upon 
it  that  the  pudding  was  a  great  dish  in  Nantucket,  and 
I  must  try  it.  Well,  I  stuffed  and  gagged  at  it,  out  of 
pure  politeness,  till  every  morsel  on  the  plate  was  gone, 
declaring  all  the  time  that  it  was  perfectly  delicious. 
The  lady  was  charmed,  and,  in  the  face  of  every  denial, 


110  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

instantly  filled  the  plate  again.  What  could  I  do  but 
eat  it?  And  after  eating  till  I  verily  believe  one  half 
of  me  was  composed  of  Nantucket  pudding,  and  the 
other  half  of  whale-oil  and  tar,  what  could  I  do  but 
praise  it  again  ?  The  third  attempt  upon  my  life  was 
made  by  this  most  excellent  and  hospitable  lady ;  but  I 
gave  way,  and  had  to  beg  off.  Human  nature  could 
stand  it  no  longer.  The  consequence  was,  I  wounded 
her  feelings.  She  regretted  very  much  that  I  disliked 
Nantucket  pudding,  and  I  don't  think  ever  quite  forgave 
me  for  my  prejudice  against  that  article  of  diet,  though 
her  kindness  laid  me  up  sick  for  two  weeks.  Nor  is  this 
an  isolated  case.  I  might  relate  a  thousand  others  in 
illustration  of  the  melancholy  fact  that  hospitality  has 
been  the  bane  of  my  life.  When  I  think  of  all  the  suf 
ferings  I  have  endured  out  of  mere  politeness — though 
by  no  means  accounted  a  polite  person — tears  of  grief 
and  indignation  spring  to  my  eyes.  Old  John  Rogers 
at  the  stake  never  suffered  such  martyrdom.  But  there 
is  an  end  of  it !  The  tchai  of  Moscow  finished  all  this 
sort  of  thing  —  so  far,  at  least,  as  the  male  sex  is  con 
cerned.  I  would  still  eat  a  coyote  or  a  weasel  to  oblige 
a  lady,  but  as  to  drinking  two  gallons  of  strong  tea  per 
day,  dashed  with  Cognac  to  reduce  its  temperature,  to 
oblige  any  man  that  ever  wore  a  beard,  I  solemnly  de 
clare  I'll  die  first.  The  thing  is  an  imposition — an  out 
rage.  Every  man  has  a  right  to  my  time,  my  purse,  my 
real  estate  in  Oakland,  my  coat,  my  boots,  or  my  razor 
— nay,  in  a  case  of  emergency,  my  tooth-brush — but  no 
man  has  a  right  to  deluge  my  diaphragm  with  slops,  or 
make  a  ditch  of  Mundus  of  my  stomach. 

At  the  Peterskoi  Gardens  we  had  a  little  more  tea, 
dashed  with  vodka,  to  keep  out  the  night  air.  As  soon 
as  the  fire-works  were  over  we  adjourned  to  the  pa 
vilion,  and  refreshed  ourselves  with  a  little  more  tea 
slightly  impregnated  with  some  more  vodka.  Now  I 
don't  know  exactly  what  this  vodka  is  made  of,  but  I 
believe  it  is  an  extract  of  corn.  In  the  Russian  Ian- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOli. 


Ill 


guage  voda  is  water,  and  vodka  means  "  little  water." 
There  certainly  was  very  little  in  what  we  got,  or  the 
tea  must  have  been  stronger  than  usual,  for,  notwith 
standing  these  agreeable  young  gentlemen  protested  a 


' 


.£-  '•- 


EFFECTS   OF    "LITTLE  WATER." 


gallon  of  such  stuff  would  not  produce  the  slightest  ef 
fect,  it  seemed  to  me  —  though  there  might  have  been 
some  delusion  in  the  idea,  arising  from  ignorance  of 
Russian  customs  —  that  my  head  went  round  like  a 


112  THE  LAND  OF  TI1OK. 

whirligig ;  and  by  the  time  I  took  my  leave  of  these 
experienced  young  friends  and  retired  to  my  room  at 
the  Hotel  de  Venise,  it  did  likewise  occur  to  me — though 
that  too  may  have  been  a  mere  notion — that  there  was 
a  hive  of  bees  in  each  ear.  Upon  due  consideration  of 
all  the  facts,  I  thought  it  best?  to  turn  in,  and  resume 
any  inquiries  that  might  be  necessary  for  the  elucida 
tion  of  these  phenomena  in  the  morning. 

[Here,  you  perceive,  I  am  gradually  verging  toward 
the  adventure.  The  heroine  of  the  romance  has  not  yet 
made  her  appearance,  but  depend  upon  it  she  is  getting 
ready.  You  should  never  hurry  the  female  characters ; 
besides,  it  is  not  proper,  even  if  this  were  all  fiction  in 
stead  of  sober  truth,  that  the  heroine  should  be  brought 
upon  the  stage  just  as  the  hero  is  tumbling  into  bed.] 

But  to  proceed.  Sleep  was  effectually  banished  from 
my  eyes,  and  no  wonder.  Who  in  the  name  of  sense 
could  sleep  with  forty  tumblers  of  Russian  tea — to  say 
nothing  of  the  dashes  that  were  put  in  it — simmering 
through  every  nook  and  cranny  of  his  body,  and  boiling 
over  in  his  head  ?  There  I  lay,  twisting  and  tumbling, 
the  pillow  continually  descending  into  the  depths  of  in 
finity,  but  never  getting  any  where — the  bed  rolling  like 
a  dismantled  hulk  upon  a  stormy  sea — the  room  filled 
with  steaming  and  hissing  urns — a  fearful  thirst  parch 
ing  my  throat,  wrhile  myriads  of  horrid  bearded  Russians 
were  torturing  me  with  tumblers  of  boiling-hot  tea  dash 
ed  with  vodka — thus  I  lay  a  perfect  victim  of  tea.  I 
could  even  see  Chinamen  with  long  queues  picking  tea- 
leaves  off  endless  varieties  of  shrubs  that  grew  upon  the 
papered  walls;  and  Kalmuck  Tartars,  with  their  long 
caravans,  traversing  the  dreary  steppes  of  Tartary  laden 
with  inexhaustible  burdens  of  the  precious  leaf;  and  the 
great  fair  of  Nijni  Novorgod,  with  its  booths,  and  tents, 
and  countless  boxes  of  tea,  and  busy  throngs  of  traders 
and  tea-merchants,  all  passing  like  a  panorama  before 
me,  and  all  growing  naturally  out  of  an  indefinite  back 
ground  of  tea. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  113 

I  can  not  distinctly  remember  how  long  I  tossed  about 

fthis  way,  beset  by  all  sorts  of  vagaries.  Sometimes  I 
ncied  sleep  had  come,  and  that  the  whole  matter  was 
a  ridiculous  freak  of  fancy,  including  my  visit  to  Moscow 
—that  Kussian  tea  was  all  a  fiction,  and  vodka  a  mere 
nightmare;  but  with  a  nervous  start  I  would  find  my 
self  awake,  the  palpable  reality  of  my  extraordinary  con 
dition  staring  me  in  the  face.  Unable  to  endure  such  an 
anomalous  frame  of  mind  and  body  any  longer,  I  at 
length  resolved  to  go  down  and  take  an  airing  in  the 
streets,  believing,  if  any  thing  wrould  have  a  beneficial 
effect,  it  would  be  the  fresh  air.  Acting  upon  this  idea, 
I  hastily  dressed  myself  and  descended  to  the  front  door. 
The  Hotel  de  Venise  is  situated  in  a  central  part  of  the 
city,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  Kremlin.  It  stands 
back  in  a  large  open  yard,  with  a  very  pretty  garden  to 
the  right  as  you  enter  from  the  main  street.  The  pro 
prietor  is  a  Russian,  but  the  hotel  is  conducted  in  the 
French  style,  and,  although  not  more  conspicuous  for 
cleanliness  than  other  establishments  of  the  same  class 
in  Moscow,  it  is  nevertheless  tolerably  free  from  vermin. 
The  fleas  in  it  were  certainly  neither  so  lively  nor  so  en 
tertaining  as  I  have  found,  them  at  many  of  the  Spanish 
ranches  in  California,  and  the  bugs,  I  am  sure,  are  noth 
ing  like  so  corpulent  as  some  I  have  seen  in  Washington 
City.  I  throw  this  in  gratis,  as  a  sort  of  puff,  in  consid 
eration  of  an  understanding  with  the  landlord,  that  if  he 
would  refrain  from  cheating  me  I  would  recommend  his 
hotel  to  American  travelers.  It  is  very  good  of  its  kind, 
and  no  person  fond  of  veal,  as  a  standard  dish,  can  suffer 
from  hunger  at  this  establishment  so  long  as  calves  con 
tinue  to  be  born  any  where  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mos 
cow. 

The  porter,  a  drowsy  old  fellow  in  livery,  whose  only 
business,  so  far  as  I  could  discover,  was  to  bow  to  the 
guests  as  they  passed  in  and  out  during  the  day,  at  the 
expense  of  a  kopek  to  each  one  of  them  for  every  bow,' 
was  napping  on  a  lounge  close  by  the  front  door.  Hear- 


1  i  4  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

ing  my  footsteps,  he  awoke,  rubbed  his  eyes,  bowed 
habitually,  and  then  stared  at  me  with  a  vacant  an^ 
somewhat  startled  expression.  It  was  not  a  common 
thing  evidently  for  lodgers  to  go  out  of  the  hotel  at  that 
time  of  night,  or  rather  morning — it  must  have  been 
nearly  two  o'clock — for,  after  gazing  a  while  at  what  he 
doubtless  took  to  be  an  apparition  or  an  absconding 
boarder  whose  bill  had  not  been  settled,  he  grumbled 
out  something  like  a  dissent,  and  stood  between  me  and 
the  door.  A  small  fee  of  ten  kopeks,  which  I  placed  in 
his  hand,  aided  him  in  grasping  at  the  mysteries  of  the 
case,  and  he  unlocked  the  door  and  let  me  out,  merely 
shaking  his  head  gravely,  as  if  he  divined  my  purpose, 
but  did  not  altogether  approve  of  it  in  one  of  my  age 
and  sedate  appearance.  In  that,  however,  he  was  mis 
taken  :  I  had  no  disposition  to  form  any  tender  alliances 
in  Moscow. 

The  streets  were  almost  deserted.  An  occasional  dros- 
ky,  carrying  home  some  belated  pleasure-seeker,  was  all 
that  disturbed  the  silence.  I  walked  some  distance  in 
the  direction  of  the  Kremlin.  The  air  was  deliciously 
cool  and  refreshing,  and  the  sky  wore  a  still  richer  glow 
than  I  had  noticed  a  few  hours  before  at  the  gardens  of 
the  Peterskoi.  The  moon  had  not  yet  gone  down,  but 
the  first  glowing  blushes  of  the  early  morning  were  steal 
ing  over  the  heavens,  mingled  with  its  silvery  light.  I 
took  off  my  hat  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air,  and  wandered 
along  quite  enchanted  with  the  richness  and  variety  of 
the  scene.  Every  turn  of  the  silent  streets  brought  mo 
in  view  of  some  gilded  pile  of  cupolas,  standing  in  glow 
ing  relief  against  the  sky.  Churches  of  strange  Asiatic 
form,  the  domes  richly  and  fancifully  colored ;  golden 
stars  glittering  upon  a  groundwork  of  blue,  green,  or 
yellow ;  shrines  with  burning  tapers  over  the  massive 
doors  and  gateways,  were  scattered  in  every  direction 
in  the  most  beautiful  profusion.  Sometimes  I  saw  a  sol 
itary  beggar  kneeling  devoutly  before  some  gilded  saint, 
and  mourning  over  the  weariness  of  life.  Once  I  was 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


115 


RUSSIAN   BEGGARS. 


startled  by  the  apparition  of  a  poor  wretch  lying  asleep 
— I  thought  he  was  dead — a  crippled  wreck  upon  the 
stone  steps  —  his  eyes  closed  in  brief  oblivion  of  the 
world  and  its  sorrows,  his  furrowed  and  pallid  features 
a  ghastly  commentary  upon  the  glittering  temples  and 
idols  that  surround  him.  For  above  all  these  things 
that  are  "  decked  with  silver  and  with  gold,  and  fast 
ened  with  nails  and  with  hammers  that  they  move  not," 
there  is  One  who  hath  "  made  the  earth  by  His  pow 
er  and  established  the  world  by  His  wisdom;"  man  is 
but  brutish  in  his  knowledge ;  "  every  founder  is  con 
founded  by  the  graven  image ;  for  his  molten  image  is 
falsehood,  and  there  is  no  breath  in  them."  Such  ex 
tremes  every  where  abound  in  Moscow — magnificence 
and  filth  ;  wealth  and  poverty ;  a  superstitious  belief  in 
the  power  of  images  in  the  midst  of  abject  proofs  of 
their  impotence.  And  yet,  is  it  not  better  that  men 


116  THE  LAND  OF  THUlt. 

should  believe  in  something  rather  than  in  nothing? 
The  glittering  idol  can  not  touch  the  crippled  beggar 
and  put  health  and  strength  in  his  limbs,  but  if  the  poor 
sufferer  can  sleep  better  upon  the  cold  stones  in  the  pres 
ence  of  his  patron  saint  than  elsewhere,  in  charity's  name 
let  him,  ^ 

"O'erlabored  with  his  being's  strife, 
Shrink  to  that  sweet  forget  fulness  of  life." 

I  wandered  on.  Soon  the  cupolas  of  the  mighty  Krem 
lin  were  in  sight,  all  aglow  with  the  bright  sheen  of  the 
morn.  Passing  along  its  embattled  walls,  which  now 
seemed  of  snowy  whiteness,  I  reached  the  grand  plaza 
of  the  Krasnoi  Ploschod.  Standing  out  in  the  open 
space,  I  gazed  at  the  wondrous  pile  of  gold -covered 
domes  till  my  eyes  rested  on  the  highest  point  —  the 
majestic  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki.  And  then  I  could  but 
think  of  the  terrible  Czar — the  fourth  of  the  fierce  race 
of  Ivans,  who  ruled  the  destinies  of  Russia ;  he  who  kill 
ed  his  own  son  in  a  fit  of  rage,  yet  never  shook  hands 
with  a  foreign  ambassador  without  washing  his  own  im 
mediately  after ;  the  patron  of  monasteries,  and  the  con 
queror  of  Kazan,  Astrakan,  and  Siberia.  This  was  the 
most  cruel  yet  most  enlightened  of  his  name.  I  am  not 
sure  whether  the  tower  was  built  to  commemorate  his 
fame  or  that  of  his  grandfather,  Ivan  the  Third,  also  call 
ed  "  the  Terrible,"  of  whom  Karasmin  says  that,  "  when 
excited  with  anger,  his  glance  would  make  a  timid  woman 
swoon ;  that  petitioners  dreaded  to  approach  his  throne, 
and  that  even  at  his  table  the  boyars,  his  grandees,  trem 
bled  before  him."  A  terrible  fellow,  no  doubt,  and  thor 
oughly  Russian  by  the  testimony  of  this  Russian  histo 
rian,  for  where  else  will  you  find  men  so  terrible  as  to 
make  timid  women  swoon  by  a  single  glance  of  their 
eye  ?  Not  in  California,  surely  !  If  I  were  a  Czar  this 
soft  summer  night  (such  was  the  idea  that  naturally  oc- 
eiirn.-d  to  mo),  I  would  gaze  upon  the  fair  flowers  of 
creation  with  an  entirely  different  expression  of  coun 
tenance.  They  should  neither  wilt  nor  swoon  unless 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  117 

overcome  by  the  delicacy  and  tenderness  of  my  admira 
tion. 

From  the  green  towers  of  the  Holy  Gate,  where  nei 
ther  Czar  nor  serf  can  enter  without  uncovering  his 
head,  I  turned  toward  the  Vassoli  Blagennoi — the  won 
drous  maze  of  churches  that  gathers  around  the  Cathe 
dral  of  St.  Basil.  Not  in  all  Moscow  is  there  a  sight  so 
strange  and  gorgeous  as  this.  The  globular  domes,  all 
striped  with  the  varied  colors  of  the  rainbow ;  the  glit 
tering  gold-gilt  cupolas ;  the  rare  and  fanciful  minarets ; 
the  shrines,  and  crosses,  and  stars ;  the  massive  steps ; 
the  iron  railing,  with  shining  gold-capped  points — sure 
ly,  in  the  combination  of  striking  and  picturesque  forms 
and  colors,  lights  and  shades,  must  ever  remain  unequal- 
ed.  The  comparison  may  seem  frivolous,  yet  it  resem 
bled  more,  to  my  eye,  some  gigantic  cactus  of  the  trop 
ics,  with  its  needles  and  rich  colors,  ite  round,  prickly 
domes  and  fantastic  cupolas,  than  any  thing  I  had  ever 
seen  before  in  the  shape  of  a  church  or  group  of  churches. 
While  I  gazed  in  wonder  at  the  strange  fabric,  I  could 
not  but  think  again  of  Ivan  the  Terrible,  by  whose  order 
it  was  built ;  and  how,  when  the  architect  (an  Italian) 
was  brought  before  him,  trembling  with  awe,  the  mighty 
Ivan  expressed  his  approval  of  the  performance,  and  de 
manded  if  he,  the  architect,  could  build  another  equally 
strange  and  beautiful ;  to  which  the  poor  Italian,  elated 
with  joy,  answered  that  he  could  build  another  even 
stranger  and  more  beautiful  than  this ;  and  then  how 
the  ferocious  and  unprincipled  Czar  had  the  poor  fel 
low's  eyes  put  out  to  prevent  him  from  building  an 
other. 

But  this  is  not  the  adventure.  I  have  nothing  to  do 
at  present  with  the  Church  of  St.  Basil  or  Ivan  the  Ter 
rible  except  in  so  far  as  they  affected  my  imagination. 
The  business  on  hand  is  to  tell  you  how  the  dire  catas 
trophe  happened. 

Bewildered  at  length  with  gazing  at  all  these  wonder 
ful  sights,  I  turned  to  retrace  my  steps  to  the  hotel.  A 


118  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

few  clroskies  were  still  plying  on  the  principal  thorough 
fares,  and  now  and  then  I  met  gay  parties  trudging 
homeward  after  their  night's  dissipation ;  but  I  soon 
struck  into  the  less  frequented  streets,  where  a  dreary 
silence  reigned.  There  was  something  very  sad  and 
solitary  in  the  reverberation  of  my  footsteps.  For  the 
first  time  it  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  not  much  se 
curity  here  for  life,  in  case  of  a  covert  attack  from  some 
of  those  footpads  said  to  infest  the  city.  I  began  to  re 
flect  upon  the  experience  of  my  young  American  friend, 
and  regret  that  it  had  not  occurred  to  me  before  I  left 
the  hotel.  You  may  think  this  very  weak  and  foolish, 
good  friends,  surrounded  as  you  are  by  all  the  safe 
guards  of  law  and  order,  and  living  in  a  country  where 
men  are  never  knocked  on  the  head  of  nights — with  oc 
casional  exceptions;  but  I  can  assure  you  it  is  a  very 
natural  feeling  in  a  strange,  half-barbarous  city  like  Mos 
cow,  where  one  doesn't  understand  the  language.  Had 
I  been  well  versed  in  Russian,  the  probability  is  I  should 
not  have  felt  the  least  alarmed ;  but  a  man  experiences  a 
terrible  sensation  of  loneliness  when  he  expects  every 
moment  to  be  knocked  on  the  head  without  being  able 
to  say  a  word  in  his  own  defense.  Had  my  guide,  Do- 
minico,  been  with  me,  I  should  not  have  felt  quite  so 
helpless  —  though  I  never  had  much  confidence  in  his 
courage — for  he  could  at  least  have  demanded  an  ex 
planation,  or,  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  helped  me 
to  run  away.  The  fact  is — and  there  is  no  use  attempt 
ing  to  disguise  it — I  began  to  feel  a  nervous  apprehen 
sion  that  something  was  going  to  happen.  I  was  startled 
at  my  own  shadow,  and  was  even  afraid  to  whistle  with 
any  view  of  keeping  up  my  spirits,  lest  something  un 
usually  florid  in  my  style  of  whistling  might  lead  to  the 
supposition  that  I  was  from  California,  and  therefore  a 
good  subject  for  robbery. 

Which,  by  the  way,  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  remarkable 
fact,  well  worth  mentioning.  The  State  of  California 
owes  me,  at  the  least  calculation,  two  hundred  dollars, 


THE  LAND  OF  Y*K*ECJ  J*Q jyg_  1  1  0 

^saK—sssasss5^ 

paid  in  sums  varying  from  six  kreutzers  up  to  a  pound 
sterling  to  hotel -keepers,  porters,  lackeys,  and  profes 
sional  gentlemen  throughout  Europe,  exclusively  on  the 
ground  of  my  citizenship  in  that  state.  In  Paris — in 
Spain — in  Africa — in  Germany  (with  the  exceptions  of 
the  beer-houses  and  country  inns),  I  had  to  pay  a  heavy 
percentage  upon  the  capital  invested  in  my  gold  mines 
solely  on  the  presumption  that  no  man  could  come  from 
so  rich  a  country  without  carrying  off  a  good  deal  of 
treasure  on  his  person,  like  the  carcass  that  carried  the 
diamonds  out  of  the  rich  valley  for  Sinbad  the  Sailor. 
Yet  I  never  could  forego  the  pleasure  of  announcing 
myself  as  an  gmbassador  to  foreign  parts  from  that  noble 
state,  commissioned  by  the  sovereigns  generally  to  fur 
nish  them  with  the  latest  improvements  in  morals,  fash 
ions,  and  manners  for  the  public  benefit — an  extremely 
onerous  and  responsible  duty,  which  I  have  executed,  and 
shall  continue  to  execute,  with  the  most  rigid  fidelity. 

After  walking  quite  far  enough  to  have  reached  the 
hotel,  I  became  confused  at  the  winding  of  the  streets. 
The  neighborhood  was  strange.  I  could  not  discov 
er  any  familiar  sign  or  object.  The  houses  were  low, 
mean,  and  dark  looking;  the  street  was  narrow  and 
roughly  paved.  I  walked  a  little  farther,  then  turned 
into  another  street  still  more  obscure,  and,  following 
that  for  some  distance,  brought  up  amid  a  pile  of  ruined 
walls.  There  could  no  longer  be  a  doubt  that  I  had 
missed  the  way,  and  was  not  likely  to  find  it  in  this  di 
rection.  It  was  a  very  suspicious  quarter  into  which  I 
had  strayed.  Every  thing  about  it  betokened  poverty 
and  crime.  I  began  to  feel  rather  uneasy,  but  it  would 
not  do  to  stand  here  among  the  ruins  as  a  mark  for  any 
midnight  prowler  who  might  be  lurking  around.  Turn 
ing  off  in  a  new  direction,  I  took  a  by-street,  which  ap 
peared  to  lead  to  an  open  space.  As  I  picked  my  way 
over  the  masses  of  rubbish,  a  dark  figure  crossed  in  front, 
and  disappeared  in  the  shadow  of  a  wall.  I  was  entirely 
unarmed.  What  was  to  be  done?  Perhaps  the  man 


120  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

might  be  able  to  tell  me  the  way  to  my  lodgings ;  but  I 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  Russian,  as  before  stated, 
and,  besides,  was  rather  averse  to  making  acquaintance 
with  strangers.  After  a  moment's  reflection,  I  walked 
on,  cautiously  and  distrustfully  enough,  for  the  notion 
was  uppermost  in  my  mind  that  this  fellow  was  not 
there  for  any  goo'd  purpose.  As  I  passed  the  spot 
where  he  had  disappeared,  I  looked  suspiciously  around, 
but  he  did  not  make  his  appearance.  With  a  few  hasty 
strides  I  reached  the  open  space — a  vacant  lot,  it  seem 
ed,  caused  by  a  recent  fire.  The  houses  were  burnt 
down,  and  nothing  but  a  blackened  mass  of  beams,  raft 
ers,  and  ashes  covered  the  ground.  The  *>nly  exit  was 
through  a  narrow  alley.  Before  entering  this,  I  looked 
back  and  saw  the  same  figure  stealthily  following  me. 
On  I  went  as  rapidly  as  I  could  walk.  Closer  and  closer 
came  the  figure.  He  was  a  man  of  gigantic  stature,  and 
was  probably  armed.  Soon  I  heard  the  heavy  tramp  of 
his  feet  within  a  few  paces.  It  was  evident  I  must  either 
run  or  stand  my  ground.  Perhaps,  if  I  had  known  what 
direction  to  take,  or  could  have  placed  more  reliance 
upon  my  knees,  which  were  greatly  weakened  by  tea,  I 
might  have  chosen  the  former  alternative,  inglorious  as 
it  may  seem  ;  but,  under  the  circumstances,  I  resolved  to 
stand.  Facing  around  suddenly,  with  my  back  to  the 
wall,  I  called  to  the  ruffian  to  stand  off,  as  he  valued  his 
life.  He  halted  within  a  few  feet,  evidently  a  little  dis 
concerted  at  my  sudden  determination  to  make  battle. 
His  face  was  the  most  brutal  I  had  ever  seen ;  a  filthy 
mass  of  beard  nearly  covered  it;  two  piercing  white 
eyes  glistened  beneath  the  leaf  of  his  greasy  cap;  a 
coarse  blouse,  gathered  around  the  waist  by  a  leather 
belt,  and  boots  that  reached  nearly  to  his  hips,  were  the 
most  striking  articles  of  his  costume.  For  a  moment  he 
gazed  at  me,  as  if  uncertain  what  to  do ;  then  brushed 
slowly  past,  with  the  design,  no  doubt,  of  ascertaining  if 
I  was  armed.  I  could  not  see  whether  he  carried  any 
deadly  weapons  himself;  but  a  man  of  his  gigantic  stat- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  121 

ure  needed  none  to  be  a  very  unequal  opponent  in  a 
struggle  with  one  whose  most  sanguinary  conflicts  had 
hitherto  been  on  paper,  and  who  had  never  wielded  a 
heavier  weapon  than  a  pen. 

Proceeding  on  his  way,  however,  the  ruffian,  after  go 
ing  about  a  hundred  yards,  disappeared  in  some  dark  re 
cess  in  among  the  houses  on  one  side.  I  continued  on, 
taking  care  to  keep  in  the  middle  of  the  alley.  As  I 
approached  the  spot  where  the  man  had  disappeared,  I 
heard  several  voices,  and  then  the  terrible  truth  flashed 
upon  me  that  there  must  be  a  gang  of  them.  I  now  saw 
no  alternative  but  to  turn  back  and  run  for  my  life.  It 
was  an  inglorious  thing  to  do,  no  doubt,  but  which  of 
you,  my  friends,  would  not  have  done  the  same  thing  ? 

Scarcely  had  I  started  under  full  headway  when  three 
or  four  men  rushed  out  in  pursuit.  I  will  not  attempt  to 
disguise  the  fact  that  the  ground  passed  under  my  feet 
pretty  rapidly ;  and  the  probability  is,  the  hostile  party 
would  have  been  distanced  in  less  than  ten  minutes  but 
for  an  unfortunate  accident.  It  was  necessary  to  cross 
the  ruins  already  described.  Here,  in  the  recklessness 
of  my  flight,  I  stumbled  over  a  beam,  and  fell  prostrate 
in  a  pile  of  ashes.  Before  I  could  regain  my  feet  the 
ruffians  were  upon  me.  While  two  of  them  held  my 
arms,  the  third  clapped  his  dirty  hand  over  my  mouth, 
and  in  this  way  they  dragged  me  back  into  the  alley. 
As  soon  as  they  had  reached  the  dark  archway  from 
which  they  had  originally  started,  they  knocked  at  a 
door  on  one  side.  This  was  quickly  opened,  and  I  was 
thrust  into  a  large  room,  dimly  lighted  with  rude  lamps 
of  grease  hung  upon  the  walls.  When  they  first  got 
hold  of  me,  I  confess  the  sensation  was  not  pleasant. 
What  would  the  Emperor  Alexander  say  when  he  heard 
that  a  citizen  of  California  had  been  murdered  in  this 
cold-blooded  manner?  My  next  thought  was,  in  what 
terms  would  this  sad  affair  be  noticed  in  the  columns  of 
the  Sacramento  Union  f  Would  it  not  be  regarded  by 
the  editor  as  an  unprovoked  disaster  inflicted  upon  soci- 

F 


•I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  123 

ety  ?  My  fears,  however,  were  somewhat  dispelled  upon 
looking  around  the  saloon  into  which  I  had  been  so 
strangely  introduced.  Several  tables  were  ranged  along 
the  walls,  at  each  of  which  sat  a  group  of  the  most  hor 
rible-looking  savages  that  probably  ever  were  seen  out  of 
jail — the  very  dregs  and  offscourings  of  Moscow.  Their 
faces  were  mostly  covered  with  coarse,  greasy  beards, 
reaching  half  way  down  their  bodies ;  some  wore  dirty 
blue  or  gray  blouses,  tied  around  the  waist  with  ropes,  or 
fastened  with  leather  belts ;  others,  long  blue  coats,  reach 
ing  nearly  to  their  feet ;  and  all,  or  nearly  all,  had  caps  on 
their  heads,  and  great  heavy  boots  reaching  up  to  their 
knees,  in  which  their  pantaloons  were  thrust,  giving 
them  a  rakish  and  ruffianly  appearance.  A  few  sat  in 
their  shirt-sleeves ;  and,  judging  by  the  color  of  their 
shirts,  as  well  as  their  skins,  did  not  reckon  soap  among 
the  luxuries  of  life.  Several  of  these  savage -looking 
Mujiks  were  smoking  some  abominable  weed,  intended, 
perhaps,  for  tobacco,  but  very  much  unlike  that  delight 
ful  narcotic  in  the  foul  and  tainted  odor  which  it  diffused 
over  the  room.  They  were  all  filthy  and  brutish  in  the 
extreme,  and  talked  in  some  wretched  jargon,  which, 
even  to  my  inexperienced  ear,  had  but  little  of  the  gen 
tle  flow  of  the  Russian  in  it.  The  tables  were  dotted 
with  dice,  cards,  fragments  of  black  bread,  plates  of 
grease,  and  cabbage  soup,  and  glasses  of  vodka  and  tea ; 
and  the  business  of  gambling,  eating,  and  drinking  was 
carried  on  with  such  earnestness  that  my  entrance  at 
tracted  no  farther  attention  than  a  rude  stare  from  the 
nearest  group.  No  wonder  they  were  a  little  puzzled, 
for  I  was  covered  with  ashes,  and  must  'have  presented 
rather  a  singular  appearance.  The  three  ruffians  who 
had  brought  me  in  closed  the  door,  and  motioned  me  to 
a  seat  at  a  vacant  table.  They  then  called  for  tea,  vod 
ka,  and  quass,  together  with  a  great  dish  of  raw  cucum 
bers,  which  they  set  to  work  devouring  with  amazing 
voracity.  During  a  pause  in  the  feast  they  held  a  low 
conversation  with  the  man  who  served  them,  who  went 


124  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

out  and  presently  returned  with  a  small  tea-pot  full  of 
tea  and  a  glass,  which  he  set  before  me.  They  motioned 
to  me,  in  rather  a  friendly  way,  to  drink.  I  was  parched 
with  thirst,  and  was  not  sorry  to  get  a  draught  of  any 
thing — even  the  villainous  compound  the  traktir  had  set 
before  me ;  so  I  drank  oft'  a  tumblerfull  at  once.  Soon  I 
began  to  experience  a  whirling  sensation  in  the  head.  A 
cold  tremor  ran  through  my  limbs.  Dim  and  confused 
visions  of  the  company  rose  before  me,  and  a  strange 
and  spectral  light  seemed  shed  over  the  room.  The 
murmur  of  voices  sounded  like  rushing  waters  in  my 
ears.  I  gradually  lost  all  power  of  volition,  while  my 
consciousness  remained  unimpaired,  or,  if  any  thing,  be 
came  more  acute  than  ever.  The  guests,  if  such  they 
were,  broke  up  their  carousal  about  this  time,  and  began 
to  drop  oif  one  by  one,  each  bowing  profoundly  to  the 
landlord,  and  crossing  himself  devoutly,  and  bowing  three 
times  again  before  the  shrine  of  the  patron  saint  as  he 
passed  out.  It  was  really  marvelous  to  see  some  of 
these  ruffians,  so  besotted  with  strong  drink  that  they 
were  scarcely  able  to  see  the  way  to  the  door,  stagger 
up  before  the  burnished  shrine,  and,  steadying  them 
selves  the  best  they  could,  gravely  and  solemnly  go 
through  their  devotions. 

But  I  see  you  are  beginning  to  yawn,  and,  notwith 
standing  the  most  exciting  part  of  the  adventure  is 
about  to  commence,  it  would  be  extremely  injudicious 
in  me  to  force  it  upon  you  under  circumstances  so 
disadvantageous  to  both  parties.  You  will  therefore 
oblige  me  by  finishing  your  nap,  and,  with  your  permis 
sion,  we  will  proceed  with  our  narrative  as  soon  as  it 
may  be  mutually  agreeable.  In  the  mean  time,  I  beg 
you  will  regard  what  I  have  already  told  you  as  strictly 
confidential.  My  reputation,  both  for  veracity  and  gen 
eral  good  character,  is  involved  in  this  very  extraordina 
ry  aifair,  and  it  would  be  unfair  that  either  the  one  or 
the  other  should  be  prejudiced  by  a  partial  exposition 
of  the  facts. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  125 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE     DENOUEMENT. 

I  NOTICED  that  the  traktir,  in  settling  accounts  with 
his  customers,  made  use  of  a  peculiar  instrument  com 
monly  seen  in  the  shops  and  market-places  throughout 
the  city.  Behind  a  sort  of  bar  or  counter  at  the  head  of 
the  room  he  kept  what  is  called  a  schot,  upon  which  he 
made  his  calculations.  This  is  a  frame  about  a  foot 
square,  across  which  run  numerous  wires.  On  each  wire 
is  a  string  of  colored  pieces  of  wood  somewhat  resem 
bling  billiard -counters,  only  smaller.  The  merchant, 
trader,  traktir,  or  craftsman  engaged  in  pecuniary  trans 
actions  uses  this  instrument  with  wonderful  dexterity  in 
making  his  calculations.  He  believes  it  to  be  the  only 
thing  in  the  world  that  will  not  lie  or  steal.  If  you  have 
purchased  to  the  amount  of  thirty  kopeks,  you  would 
naturally  conclude  that  out  of  a  ruble  (one  hundred  ko 
peks)  your  change  would  amount  to  seventy.  Not  so 
the  sagacious  and  wary  Russian.  He  takes  nothing  for 
granted  in  the  way  of  trade.  Your  calculations  may  be 
erroneous — figures  obtained  through  the  medium  of 
mental  arithmetic  may  lie,  but  the  schot  never.  The 
experience  of  a  lifetime  goes  for  nothing.  He  must  have 
proof  positive.  Taking  his  schot  between  his  knees,  he 
counts  off  thirty  balls  out  of  a  hundred.  Of  course  there 
is  no  mistake  about  that.  Neither  you  nor  he  can  dis 
pute  it.  Then  he  counts  the  remainder,  and  finds  that 
it  amounts  to  seventy — therefore  your  change  is  seventy 
kopeks!  Do  you  dispute  it?  Then  you  can  count  for 
yourself.  You  might  cover  pages  with  written  calcula 
tions,  or  demonstrate  the  problem  by  the  four  cardinal 
rules  of  arithmetic ;  you  might  express  the  numbers  by 
sticks,  stones,  beans,  or  grains  of  coffee,  but  it  would  be 


126  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

all  the  same  to  this  astute  and  cautious  calculator — facts 
can  only  reach  his  understanding  through  the  colored 
balls  of  his  beloved  schot.  I  don't  think  he  would  rely 
with  certainty  upon  the  loose  verbal  statement  that  two 
and  two  make  four  without  resorting  to  the  schot  for  a 
verification.  But  to  proceed : 

A- few  of  the  guests,  too  far  gone  with  "little  water" 
to  get  up  and  perform  their  devotions,  rolled  over  on 
the  floor  and  went  to  sleep.  The  lights  grew  dim.  A 
gloomy  silence  began  to  settle  over  the  room,  interrupt 
ed  only  by  the  occasional  grunting  or  snoring  of  the 
sleepers.  The  ruffians  who  sat  at  the  table  with  me  had 
been  nodding  for  some  time ;  but,  roused  by  the  cessa 
tion  of  noises,  they  called  to  the  man  of  the  house,  and 
in  a  low  voice  gave  him  some  orders.  He  got  a  light 
and  opened  a  small  door  in  a  recess  at  one  side  of  the 
room.  I  was  then  lifted  up  by  the  others  and  carried 
into  an  adjoining  passage,  and  thence  up  a  narrow  stair 
way.  In  a  large  dingy  room  overhead  I  could  see  by  the 
flickering  rays  of  the  lamp  a  bed  in  one  corner.  It  was 
not  very  clean — none  of  the  Russian  beds  are — but  they 
laid  me  in  it,  nevertheless,  for  I  could  offer  no  remon 
strance.  What  they  had  hitherto  done  was  bad  enough, 
but  this  capped  the  climax  of  outrages.  Were  the  cow 
ardly  villains  afraid  to  murder  me,  and  was  this  their 
plan  of  getting  it  done,  and  at  the  same  time  getting  rid 
of  the  body?  Great  heavens!  was  I  to  be  devoured 
piecemeal  by  a  rapacious  horde  of  the  wild  beasts  that  are 
said  to  infest  the  Russian  beds !  And  utterly  helpless, 
too,  without  the  power  to  grapple  with  as  much  as  a 
single  flea — the  least  formidable,  perhaps,  of  the  entire 
gang !  It  was  absolutely  fearful  to  contemplate  such  an 
act  of  premeditated  barbarity ;  yet  what  could  I  do,  un 
able  to  speak  a  word  or  move  a  limb. 

I  am  reminded  by  this  that  the  Russians  derive  the 
most  striking  features  of  their  civilization  from  the 
French  and  Germans.  Their  fashions,  their  tailors,  their 
confectioners,  their  perfumeries,  their  barbers,  are  nearly 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  127 

all  French  or  Germans ;  but  their  baths  are  a  national 
institution,  derived  originally,  perhaps,  from  the  Orient 
als.  We  hear  a  good  deal  of  Russian  baths,  especially 
from  enthusiastic  travelers,  and  are  apt  to  suppose  that 
where  such  a  thorough  system  of  scrubbing  and  boil 
ing  prevails,  the  human  cuticle  must  present  a  very  ex 
traordinary  aspect  of  cleanliness.  Perhaps  this  is  so  in 
certain  cases,  but  it  is  not  a  national  characteristic.  A 
Russian  bath,  in  the  genuine  style,  is  rather  a  costly  lux 
ury.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  in  St.  Petersburg  and  Mos 
cow,  public  bath-houses  for  the  rabble,  where  the  filthi 
est  beggar  can  be  boiled  out  and  scrubbed  for  a  few  ko 
peks  ;  but  people  who  wear  a  coating  of  dirt  habitually 
must  become  attached  to  it  in  the  course  of  time,  and 
hate  very  much  to  dispose  of  it  at  any  price.  At  least 
there  seemed  to  be  a  prejudice  of  this  kind  in  Moscow, 
where  the  affection  with  which  this  sort  of  overlining  is 
preserved  is  quite  equal  to  that  with  which  the  Germans 
adhere  to  their  old  household  furniture.  It  may  be,  per 
haps,  that  the  few  summer  months  which  they  enjoy  are 
insufficient  for  the  removal  of  all  the  strange  things  that 
accumulate  upon  the  body  during  the  long  winters.  The 
poorer  classes  seldom  remove  their  furs  or  change  their 
clothing  till  warm  weather  and  the  natural  wear  and  tear 
of  all  perishable  things  cause  them  to  drop  off  of  their 
own  accord.  I  have  seen  on  a  scorching  hot  day  men 
wrapped  in  long  woolen  coats,  doubled  over  the  breast 
and  securely  fastened  around  the  waist,  and  great  boots, 
capacious  enough  and  thick  enough  for  fire-buckets,  in 
which  they  were  half  buried,  strolling  lazily  along  in  the 
sun,  as  if  they  absolutely  enjoyed  its  warmth ;  and  yet 
these  very  articles  of  clothing,  with  but  little  addition, 
must  have  borne  the  piercing  winds  of  midwinter.  A 
suspicion  crossed  my  mind  that  they  were  trying  in  this 
way  to  bag  a  little  heat  for  winter  use,  as  the  old  burgh 
ers  of  Schilda  bagged  the  light  to  put  in  their  town  hall 
because  they  had  no  windows.  These  strange  habits 
must  have  something  to  do  with  the  number  of  fero- 


128  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

cious  little  animals — I  will  not  degrade  their  breed  and 
variety  by  calling  them  vermin — which  infest  the  rooms 
and  beds.  But  the  Russian  skin  is  like  Russian  leather 
— the  best  and  toughest  in  the  world.  Something  in  the 
climate  is  good  for  the  production  of  thick  and  lasting 
cuticles.  It  is  doubtless  a  wise  provision  of  nature,  based 
upon  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  to  which  these  peo 
ple  are  exposed.  There  is  no  good  reason  why  animals 
with  four  feet  should  be  more  favored  in  this  respect 
than  bipeds.  I  doubt  if  an  ordinary  Russian  would  suf 
fer  the  slightest  inconvenience  if  a  needle  were  run  into 
the  small  of  his  back.  All  those  physical  torments  which 
disturb  thin-skinned  people  from  other  countries  are  no 
torments  at  all  to  him ;  and  I  incline  to  the  opinion  that 
it  is  the  constant  experience  he  enjoys  in  a  small  way 
that  enables  him  to  endure  the  wounds  received  in  battle 
with  such  wonderful  stoicism.  A  man  can  carry  a  bull 
if  he  only  commences  when  the  animal  is  young.  Why 
not,  on  the  same  principle,  accustom  himself  to  being 
stabbed  every  night  till  he  can  quietly  endure  to  be  run 
through  with  a  bayonet  ?  The  Russian  soldiers  possess 
wonderful  powers  of  passive  endurance.  Being  stabbed 
or  cut  to  pieces  is  second  nature  to  them — they  have 
been  accustomed  to  it,  in  a  degree,  from  early  infancy. 
Who  does  not  remember  how  they  were  hewed  and 
hacked  down  in  the  Crimean  War,  and  yet  came  to  life 
again  by  thousands  after  they  were  given  up  for  dead  ? 
Perhaps  no  other 'soldiers  in  the  world  possess  such  sto 
icism  under  the  inflictions  of  pain.  They  stand  an  enor 
mous  amount  of  killing;  more  so,  I  think,  than  any  other 
people,  unless  it  may  be  the  Irish,  who,  at  the  battle  of 
Vinegar  Hill,  in  the  rebellion  of '98,  were  nearly  all  cut 
to  pieces  and  left  for  dead  on  the  field,  but  got  up  in  a 
day  or  two  after  and  went  at  it  again  as  lively  as  ever. 
This,  however,  was  not  owing  to  the  same  early  experi 
ence,  but  to  the  healthy  blood  made  of  potatoes,  with  a 
slight  sprinkling  of  Irish  whisky.  In  fine,  I  don't  think 
a  genuine  Muscovite  could  sleep  without  a  bountiful 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  129 

supply  of  vermin  to  titillate  his  skin  any  more  than  a 
miller  bereft  of  the  customary  noise  of  his  hoppers. 

Which  brings  me  back  again  to  the  adventure.  On 
that  filthy  bed  the  ruffians  laid  me  down  to  be  devoured 
by  the  wild  beasts  by  which  it  was  infested.  Then  they 
turned  about  to  a  shrine  that  stood  in  a  corner  of  the 
room,  and  each  one  bowed  down  before  it  three  times 
and  crossed  himself,  after  which  they  all  left  the  room 
and"  quietly  closed  the  door  behind  them.  I  was  pene 
trated  with  horror  at  the  thought  of  the  terrible  death 
before  me,  but  not  so  much  as  to  avoid  noticing  that  the 
chief  furniture  of  the  room  consisted  of  a  stove  in  one 
corner,  of  cylindrical  form,  made  of  terra-cotta  or  burnt 
clay,  and  glazed  outside.  It  was  colored  in  rather  a  fan 
ciful  way,  like  queensware,  and  made  a  conspicuous  ap 
pearance,  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling.  This 
was  the  genuine  Russian  stove,  with  which  these  people 
no  doubt  kept  themselves  warm  during  the  winter.  The 
windows  are  composed  of  double  glasses,  and  between 
the  sashes  the  space  is  filled  with  sand  to  keep  out  the 
air,  so  that  to  be  hermetically  sealed  up  is  one  of  the  ne 
cessities  of  existence  in  this  rigorous  climate.  While  I 
was  pondering  over  the  marvelous  fact  that  people  can 
live  by  breathing  so  many  thousand  gallons  of  air  over 
and  over  so  many  thousand  times,  a  whole  legion  of 
fleas,  chinches,  and  other  animals  of  a  still  more  forbid 
ding  aspect  commenced  their  horrid  work,  and  would 
probably  soon  have  made  an  end  of  me  but  for  a  new 
turn  in  this  most  extraordinary  affair.  The  door  gently 
opened.  A  figure  glided  in  on  tiptoe.  It  was  that  of  a 
female,  I  knew  by  the  grace  and  elegance  of  her  mo 
tions,  even  before  I  could  see  her  face  or  trace  the  undu 
lating  outline  of  her  form  in  the  dim  light  that  pervaded 
the  room.  My  senses  were  acutely  alive  to  every  move 
ment,  yet  I  was  utterly  unable  to  move,  owing  to  the  in 
fernal  drug  with  which  they  had  dosed  me.  The  wom 
an,  or  rather  girl  —  for  she  could  not  have  been  over 
eighteen  or  nineteen  —  cautiously  approached  the  bed, 

F2 


130  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

with  her  finger  to  her  lips,  as  if  warning  me  not  to  speak. 
She  was  very  beautiful — I  was  not  insensible  to  that  fact. 
Her  features  were  wonderfully  aristocratic  for  one  in  her 
position,  and  there  was  something  in  the  expression  of 
her  dark,  gleaming  eyes  peculiarly  earnest  and  pathetic. 
Her  hair  was  tossed  wildly  and  carelessly  back  over  her 
shoulders — she  had  evidently  just  risen  from  bed,  for 
her  costume  consisted  of  nothing  more  than  a  loose  night- 
wrapper,  which  fell  in  graceful  folds  around  her  limbs, 
revealing  to  great  advantage  the  exquisite  symmetry  of 
her  form.  I  was  certain  she  did  not  belong  to  the  house. 
Approaching  timidly,  yet  with  a  certain  air  of  determina 
tion,  she  bent  down  and  gazed  a  moment  in  my  face, 
and  then  hurriedly  whispered  in  French,  "  Now  is  the 
time — let  us  escape !  They  lie  sleeping  by  the  door.  A 
servant  whom  I  bribed  has  disclosed  the  fact  of  your 
capture  to  me ;  I  also  am  a  prisoner  in  this  horrid  den. 
Will  you  save  me  ?  Oh,  will  you  fly  with  me  ?"  Of 
course,  being  unable  to  move  a  muscle,  except  those  of 
my  eyes,  I  could  not  open  my  mouth  to  utter  a  word  in 
reply.  The  unhappy  young  woman  looked  profoundly 
distressed  that  I  should  thus  gaze  at  her  in  silence.  "  Oh, 
what  am  I  to  do  ?  Who  will  save  me  ?"  she  cried,  wring 
ing  her  hands  in  the  deepest  anguish:  "I  have  not  a 
friend  upon  earth  !"  Then,  clasping  me  by  the  hand,  she 
looked  in  my  face  appealingly,  and  said,  "  Monsieur,  I 
know  you  are  a  Frenchman.  I  see  it  in  the  chivalrous 
lines  of  your  countenance.  Ah !  have  pity  on  a  friend 
less  young  girl,  and  do  not  gaze  at  her  with  such  chill 
ing  indifference.  I  also  am  French.  These  wretches 
have  waylaid  and  imprisoned  me,  and  they  hope  to  ob 
tain  a  ransom  by  my  detention.  My  friends  are  ignorant 
of  my  miserable  fate.  What  can  I  do,  monsieur,  unless 
you  assist  me  ?" 

Utterly  helpless — drugged — yet  perfectly  conscious  of 
all  the  lovely  creature  was  saying,  I  was  truly  in  a  most 
deplorable  situation.  Again  and  again  she  begged  me, 
if  there  was  a  spark  of  French  chivalry  left  in  my  nature, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  131 

not  to  respond  to  her  appeals  by  such  a  look  of  unuttera 
ble  disdain.  She  was  thrillingly  beautiful ;  and  beauty  in 
tears  is  enough  to  melt  the  hardest  heart  that  ever  was 
put  in  the  breast  of  man.  I  could  feel  her  balmy  breath 
upon  my  face,  and  the  warmth  of  her  delicate  hand  in 
mine,  as  she  struggled  to  arouse  me ;  and  I  declare  it  is 
my  honest  conviction  that,  had  I  been  simply  a  corpse, 
life  would  have  come  back  to  my  assistance ;  but  this  dia 
bolical  drug  possessed  some  extraordinary  power  against 
which  not  even  the  fascinations  of  beauty  could  success 
fully  contend.  Under  other  circumstances,  indeed,  there 
is  no  telling — but  why  talk  of  other  circumstances? 
There  I  lay  like  a  log,  completely  paralyzed  from  head 
to  foot.  At  length,  unable  to  elicit  an  answer,  a  flush 
of  mingled  indignation  and  scorn  illuminated  her  beauti 
ful  features,  and,  drawing  herself  back  with  a  haughty 
air,  she  said,  "If  this  be  the  boasted  chivalry  of  my 
countrymen,  then  the  sooner  it  meets  with  a  merited  re 
ward  the  better.  Allow  me  to  say,  monsieur,  that  while 
I  admire  your  prudence,  I  scorn  the  spirit  that  prompts 
it !"  and,  with  a  glance  of  fierce  disdain,  she  swept  with 
queenly  strides  out  of  the  room.  A  moment  after  I 
heard  some  voices  in  the  passage,  and  scarcely  five  min 
utes  had  elapsed  before  the  door  was  opened  again.  To 
my  horror  I  saw  the  ruffian  who  had  first  followed  me 
enter  stealthily  with  a  darkened  lantern,  and  approach 
toward  my  bed.  He  carried  in  his  right  hand  a  heavy 
bar  of  iron.  Stopping  a  moment  opposite  a  shrine  on 
one  side  of  the  room,  he  laid  down  his  lamp  and  bar, 
and,  bowing  down  three  times,  crossed  himself  devoutly, 
and  then  proceeded  to  accomplish  his  fiendish  work.  No 
conception  can  be  formed  of  the  agony  with  which  I  now 
regarded  my  fate.  Crouching  low  as  he  approached,  the 
wretch  soon  reached  my  bedside,  peered  a  moment  into 
my  face  with  his  hideous  white  eyes,  laid  down  the  lamp, 
then  grasped  the  bar  of  iron  firmly  in  both  hands,  and 
raised  himself  up  to  his  full  height.  I  made  a  desperate 
effort  to  cry  out  for  help.  My  voice  was  utterly  gone. 


132  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

I  could  not  even  move  my  lips.  But  why  prolong  the 
dreadful  scene  ?  One  more  glance  with  the  fierce  white 
eyes,  a  deep  grating  malediction,  and  the  ruffian  braced 
himself  for  his  deadly  job.  He  tightened  his  grip  upon 
the  bar,  swung  it  high  over  his  head,  and  with  one  fell 

blow DASHED  MY  BRAINS   OUT  !  ! 

******* 

Don't  believe  it,  eh  ? 

"Well,  sir,  you  would  insist  upon  my  telling  you  the 
adventure,  and  now  I  stand  by  it !  If  it  be  your  deliber 
ate  opinion  that  my  statement  is  not  to  be  relied  upon, 
nothing  remains  between  us  but  to  arrange  the  prelim 
inaries.  I  have  no  disposition  to  deprive  my  publishers 
of  a  valuable  contributor,  or  society  of  an  ornament ;  but, 
sir,  the  great  principles  of  truth  must  be  maintained.  As 
it  will  not  be  convenient  for  me  to  attend  to  this  matter 
in  person,  you  will  be  pleased  to  select  any  friend  of 
mine  in  California  who  may  desire  to  stand  up  for  my 
honor;  place  him  before  you  at  the  usual  distance  often 
paces ;  then  name  any  friend  of  yours  at  present  in  Eu 
rope  as  a  similar  substitute  for  yourself— the  principals 
only  to  use  pistols — notify  me  by  the  Icelandic  telegraph 
when  you  are  ready,  and  then,  upon  return  of  signal,  pop 
away  at  my  friend.  But,  since  it  is  not  my  wish  to  pro 
ceed  to  such  an  extremity  unnecessarily,  if  you  will  admit 
that  I  may  possibly  have  been  deceived — that  there  may 
have  been  some  hallucination  about  the  adventure — that 
strong  tea  and  nervous  excitement  may  have  had  some 
thing  to  do  with  it,  then,  sir,  I  am  willing  to  leave  the 
matter  open  to  future  negotiation. 

It  is  true  I  found  myself  in  my  room  at  the  Hotel  de 
Venise  when  I  recovered  from  the  stunning  effects  of  the 
blow ;  also,  that  the  door  was  locked  on  the  inside ;  but 
I  am  by  no  means  prepared  to  give  up  the  point  on  such 
flimsy  evidence  as  that.  Should  the  physiological  fact 
be  developed  in  the  course  of  these  sketches  that  there 
is  still  any  portion  of  the  brain  left,  and  that  it  performs 
its  legitimate  functions,  of  course  I  shall  be  forced  to 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  133 

admit  that  the  case  is  at  least  doubtful ;  yet  even  then  it 
can  not  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  a  pure  fabrication. 
Has  not  Dickens  given  us,  in  his  "  Dreams  of  Venice," 
the  most  vivid  and  truthful  description  of  the  City  of  the 
Sea  ever  written ;  and  what  have  I  done,  at  the  worst, 
but  try  in  my  humble  way  to  give  you  a  general  idea  of 
Moscow  in  the  pleasing  form  of  a  midnight  adventure, 
ending  in  an  assassination?  You  have  seen  the  Kremlin 
and  the  Church  of  St.  Basil,  and  the  by-streets  and  alleys, 
and  the  interior  of  a  low  traktir,  and  the  cats,  and  the 
Russian  beds,  and  many  other  interesting  features  of 
this  wonderful  city,  in  a  striking  and  peculiar  point  of 
view,  and  I  hold  that  you  have  no  right  to  complain  be 
cause,  like  Louis  Philippe,  I  sacrificed  my  crown  for  the 
benefit  of  my  subject.  Besides,  has  not  my  friend  Bay 
ard  Taylor  given  to  the  world  his  wonderful  experiences 
of  the  Hasheesh  of  Damascus  ;  his  varied  and  extraordina 
ry  hallucinations  of  intellect  during  the  progress  of  its 
operations  ?  And  why  should  not  I  my  humble  experi 
ences  of  the  tchai  of  Moscow? 

Reader.  Slightly  sprinkled  with  vodka,  or  "the  little 
water." 

Oh,  that  was  just  thrown  in  to  give  additional  effect 
to  the  tea ! 

Reader.  It  won't  do,  sir — it  won't  do  !  The  deception 
was  too  transparent  throughout. 

Well,  then,  since  you  saw  through  it  from  the  begin 
ning,  there  is  no  harm  done,  and  you  can  readily  afford 
to  make  an  apology  for  impugning  my  veracity. 

Lady  Reader.  But  who  was  the  heroine  ?  What  be 
came  of  her? 

Ah !  my  dear  madam,  there  you  have  me !  I  suspect 
she  was  a  French  countess,  or  more  likely  an  actress  en 
gaged  in  the  line  of  tragedy.  Her  style,  at  all  events, 
was  tragical. 

Lady  Reader  (elevating  her  lovely  eyebrows  supercil 
iously).  She  was  rather  demonstrative,  it  must  be  admit 
ted.  You  brought  her  in  apparently  to  fulfill  your  prom- 


\.l[  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

ise,  but  sent  her  off  the  stage  very  suddenly.  You 
should,  at  least,  have  restored  her  to  her  friends,  and 
not  left  her  in  that  den  of  robbers. 

That,  dear  madam,  was  my  natural  inclination ;  but 
the  fact  is,  d'ye  see,  I  was  drugged — 

Lady  Reader  (sarcastically).  It  won't  do,  Mr.  Butter- 
field — your  heroine  was  a  failure!  In  future  you  had 
better  confine  yourself  to  facts — or  fresh  water. 

Madam,  I'd  confine  myself  to  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar 
or  an  iceberg  to  oblige  you ;  therefore,  with  your  per 
mission,  I  shall  proceed  to  give  you,  in  my  next,  a  reli 
able  description  of  the  Kremlin. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TPIE   KREMLIN. 

the  least  of  the  evils  resulting  from  this  harum- 
scarum  way  of  traveling  and  writing  is  the  fact  that 
one's  impressions  become  sadly  tumbled  together  and 
very  soon  lose  their  most  salient  features.  To  be  whirl 
ed  about  the  world  by  land  and  sea,  as  I  have  been  for 
the  last  year,  is  enough  to  turn  one's  brain  into  a  curios 
ity  shop.  When  I  undertake  to  pick  out  of  the  pile  of 
rubbish  some  picture  that  must  have  been  originally 
worth  a  great  deal  of  money,  I  find  it  so  disfigured  by 
the  sheer  force  of  friction  that  it  looks  no  better  than  an 
old  daub.  The  pity  of  it  is,  too,  that  the  very  best  of 
my  gatherings  are  apt  to  get  lost  or  ruined ;  and  some 
times  it  happens  that  when  I  varnish  up  what  appears  to 
be  valuable,  it  turns  out  not  a  groat.  Want  of  method 
would  ruin  a  Zingalee  gipsy  or  a  Bedouin  Arab.  No 
doubt  you  have  already  discovered  to  your  sorrow  that 
when  we  start  on  a  visit  to  the  Kremlin,  it  is  no  sure  in 
dication  that  we  will  not  spend  the  day  in  the  Riadi  or 
the  old-clothes  market.  If  either  you  or  I  ever  reach 
our  destination,  it  will  be  by  the  sheerest  accident.  And 
yet  one  might  as  well  undertake  to  see  Rome  without 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  135 

the  Capitoline  Hill,  or  Athens  without  the  Acropolis,  as 
Moscow  without  the  Kremlin.  We  have  had  several 
glimpses  of  it,  to  be  sure,  in  the  course  of  our  rambles, 
but  you  must  admit  that  they  were  very  vague  and  in 
definite — especially  the  last,  when,  if  you  remember,  we 
were  laboring  under  some  strange  mental  hallucination. 
The  Kremlin  has  been  fully  described  by  many  learned 
and  accomplished  travelers.  Coxe,  Atkinson,  Kohl,  and 
various  others,  have  given  elaborate  accounts  of  it ;  yet 
why  despair  of  presenting,  in  a  homely  way,  some  gen 
eral  idea  of  it,  such  as  one  might  gather  in  the  course  of 
an  afternoon's  ramble  ?  After  reading  all  we  find  about 
it  in  books  of  travel,  our  conceptions  are  still  vague  and 
unsatisfactory.  Probably  the  reason  is,  that  minute  de 
tails  of  history  and  architecture  afford  one  but  a  very 
faint  and  inadequate  idea  of  the  appearance  of  any  place. 
Like  the  pictures  of  old  Dennen,  they  may  give  you  ev 
ery  wrinkle  with  the  accuracy  of  a  daguerreotype,  but 
they  fail  in  the  general  effect,  or  resemble  the  corpse  of 
the  subject  rather  than  the  living  reality.  I  must  con 
fess  that  all  I  had  read  on  Russia  previous  to  my  visit 
afforded  me  a  much  less  vivid  idea  of  the  actual  appear 
ance  of  the  country,  the  people,  or  the  principal  cities, 
than  the  rough  crayon  sketches  of  Timm  and  Mitreuter, 
which  I  had  seen  in  the  shop  windows  of  Paris.  This 
may  not  be  the  fault  of  the  writers,  who,  of  course,  are 
not  bound  to  furnish  their  own  eyes  or  their  own  under 
standing  to  other  people, but  it  seems  to  me  that  elaborate 
detail  is  inimical  to  strong  general  impressions.  I  would 
not  give  two  hours'  personal  observation  of  any  place 
or  city  in  the  world  for  a  hundred  volumes  of  the  best 
books  of  travel  ever  written  upon  it ;  and  next  to  that 
comes  the  conversation  of  a  friend  who  possesses,  even 
in  an  ordinary  degree,  the  faculty  of  conveying  to  an 
other  his  own  impressions.  A  word,  a  hint,  a  gesture, 
or  some  grotesque  comparison,  may  give  you  a  more 
vivid  picture  of  the  reality  than  you  can  obtain  by  a 
year's  study.  Now,  if  you  will  just  consider  me  that 


136  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

friend,  and  resign  yourself  in  a  genial  and  confiding  spir 
it  to  the  trouble  of  listening ;  if  you  will  fancy  that  I 
mean  a  great  deal  more  than  I  say,  and  could  be  very 
learned  and  eloquent  if  I  chose ;  if  you  will  take  it  for 
granted  that  what  you  don't  see  is  there  nevertheless, 
the  Kremlin  will  sooner  or  later  loom  out  of  the  fogs  of 
romance  and  mystery  that  surround  it,  and  stand  before 
you,  with  its  embattled  walls  and  towers,  as  it  stood  be 
fore  me  in  the  blaze  of  the  noonday  sun,  when  Dominico, 
the  melancholy  guide,  led  the  way  to  the  Holy  Gate. 
You  will  then  discover  that  the  reality  is  quite  wonder 
ful  enough  in  its  natural  aspect,  without  the  colored  spec 
tacles  of  fancy  or  the  rigid  asperities  of  photographic 
detail  to  give  it  effect. 

Like  many  of  the  old  cities  of  Europe,  Moscow  prob 
ably  had  its  origin  in  the  nucleus  of  a  citadel  built  upon 
the  highest  point,  and  commanding  an  extensive  sweep 
of  the  neighborhood.  Around  this  houses  gathered  by 
degrees  for  protection  against  the  invasions  of  the  hos 
tile  tribes  that  roamed  through  Russia  at  an  early  peri 
od  of  its  history.  The  first  object  of  the  Kremlin  was 
doubtless  to  form  a  military  strong-hold.  It  was  orig 
inally  constructed  of  wood,  with  ramparts  thrown  up 
around  it  for  purposes  of  defense,  but,  in  common  with 
the  rest  of  Moscow,  was  destroyed  by  the  Tartars  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  Under  the  reign  of  Dimitri  it  was 
rebuilt  of  stone,  and  strongly  fortified  with  walls  and 
ditches,  since  which  period  it  has  sustained,  without  any 
great  injury,  the  assaults  of  war,  the  ravages  of  fire,  and 
the  wear  and  tear  of  time.  Kief  and  Vladimir,  prior  to 
that  reign,  had  each  served  in  turn  as  the  capital  of  the 
empire.  After  the  removal  of  the  capital  to  Moscow, 
that  city  was  besieged  and  ravaged  by  Tamerlane,  and 
suffered  from  time  to  time  during  every  succeeding  cen 
tury  all  the  horrors  of  war,  fire,  pestilence,  and  famine, 
till  1812,  when  it  was  laid  in  ashes  by  the  Russians 
themselves,  who  by  this  great  national  sacrifice  secured 
the  destruction  of  the  French  army  under  Napoleon. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  137 

During  the  almost  perpetual  wars  by  which  Moscow 
was  assailed  for  a  period  of  four  centuries,  the  Kremlin 
seems  to  have  borne  almost  a  charmed  existence.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Grand  Palace,  the  Bolshoi  Dro- 
vetz,  built  by  the  Emperor  Alexander  I.,  and  the  Maloi 
Drovetz,  or  Little  Palace,  built  by  the  Emperor  Nicho 
las,  and  the  Arsenal,  it  has  undergone  but  little  change 
since  the  time  of  the  early  Czars.  In  1812,  when  the 
French,  after  despoiling  it  of  whatever  they  could  lay 
their  hands  upon,  attempted,  in  the  rage  of  disappoint 
ment,  to  blow  up  the  walls,  the  powder,  as  the  Russians 
confidently  assert,  wras  possessed  by  the  devil  of  water, 
and  refused  to  explode;  and  when  they  planted  a  heav 
ily-loaded  cannon  before  the  Holy  Gate,  and  built  a  fire 
on  top  of  the  touch-hole  to  make  it  go  off,  it  went  off  at 
the  breech,  and  blew  a  number  of  Frenchmen  into  the 
infernal  regions,  after  which  the  remainder  of  them 
thought  it  best  to  let  it  alone. 

The  Kremlin,  as  it  now  stands,  is  a  large  collection  of 
palaces,  public  buildings,  and  churches,  situated  on  the 
crown  of  a  high  bank  or  eminence  on  the  left  side  of  the 
Moskwa  River,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  It  is 
surrounded  by  a  high  embattled  wall,  forming  something 
of  a  triangle,  about  a  mile  in  circumference,  through 
which  are  several  massive  gateways.  This  wall  is  very 
strongly  constructed  of  stone,  and  is  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  feet  in  height.  It  forms  many  irregular  sub- 
angles,  and  is  diversified  in  effect  by  numerous  towers, 
with  green  pyramidal  roofs ;  abutments  and  buttresses ; 
and  a  series  of  guard-houses  at  intervals  along  the  top. 
The  general  color  is  white,  making  rather  a  striking  con 
trast  with  the  green-roofed  towers,  and  the  gilded  domes 
and  many-colored  cupolas  of  the  interior  churches.  Out 
side  of  this  wall,  on  the  upper  side  of  the  main  angle,  are 
some  very  pleasant  gardens,  handsomely  laid  out,  with 
fine  shady  walks,  in  which  many  of  the  citizens  spend 
their  summer  evenings,  strolling  about,  enjoying  the 
fresh  air.  Other  parts  of  the  exterior  spaces  are  devot- 


138  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

ed  to  drosky  stands,  markets,  and  large  vacant  spaces 
for  public  gatherings  on  festa  days  and  great  occasions 
of  military  display.  From  every  point  streets  diverge 
irregularly,  winding  outward  till  they  intersect  the  inner 
and  outer  boulevards.  These  boulevards  are  large  cir 
cular  thoroughfares,  crossing  the  Moskwa  River  above 
and  below.  They  are  well  planted  with  trees,  and  have 
spacious  side-walks  on  each  side ;  but,  unlike  the  boule 
vards  of  Paris,  are  only  dotted  at  irregular  intervals 
with  houses.  To  the  eastward  lies  the  Kitai  Gorod,  or 
Chinese  City,  and  to  the  westward  the  Beloi  Gorod,  or 
White  City. 

Isolated  in  a  great  measure  from  the  various  quarters 
of  the  city,  Russian  and  Tartaricrby  the  gardens,  the 
large  open  spaces,  the  markets,  and  the  river,  the  Krem 
lin  looms  up  high  over  all  in  solitary  grandeur — a  mass 
of  churches,  palaces,  and  fortifications,  surmounted  by 
the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  which  stands  out  in  bold  oc 
tagonal  relief  against  the  one  with  its  numerous  bells 
swung  in  the  openings  of  the  different  stages,  thunder 
ing  forth  the  hours  of  the  day,  or  tolling  a  grand  chorus 
to  the  chanting  of  innumerable  priests  in  the  churches 
below.  Approaching  the  Spass  Vorota,  or  Gate  of  the 
Redeemer,  through  \vhich  none  can  enter  save  with  un 
covered  heads  —  such  is  the  veneration  in  which  this 
Holy  Gate  is  held  by  all  classes  —  we  witness  a  strange 
and  impressive  spectacle.  Over  this  wonderful  gate,  in 
cased  in  a  frame  covered  with  glass,  stands  the  holiest 
of  all  the  pictured  relics  of  this  sacred  place,  a  painted 
figure  of  the  Savior,  emblazoned  with  gilding,  and  with 
a  lamp  swung  in  front,  which  burns  night  and  day,  as  it 
has  burnt  since  the  days  of  Ivan  the  Terrible.  Before 
this  sacred  image  all  true  believers  bow  down  and  wor 
ship.  While  the  great  bells  of  the  tower  are  booming 
out  their  grand  and  solemn  strains,  it  is  a  profoundly 
impressive  spectacle  to  witness  the  crowds  that  gather 
before  this  holy  shrine,  and  bend  themselves  to  the  earth 
—  the  rich  and  tho  poor,  the  decorated  noble  and  llio 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  139 

ragged  beggar — all  alike  glowing  with  an  all-pervading 
zeal ;  no  pretense  about  it,  but  an  intense,  eager,  almost 
frantic  devotion.  Many  a  poor  cripple  casts  his  crutches 
aside,  and  prostrates  himself  on  the  paved  stoneway,  in 
the  abandonment  of  his  pious  enthuSiasm.  Men  and 
women,  old  and  young,  kneel  on  the  open  highway,  and 
implore  the  intercession  of  the  Redeemer.  From  the 
highest  officer  of  state  to  the  lowest  criminal,  it  is  all  the 
same.  The  whole  crowd  are  bowing  down  in  abject  hu 
miliation,  all  muttering  in  earnest  tones  some  prayer  or 
appeal  for  their  future  salvatiogfr  And  now,  as  we  enter 
the  gate,  the  stranger,  whatever  may  be  his  persuasion 
or  condition,  whether  a  true  believer  or  a  heretic  of  high 
or  low  degree,  must  join  in  the  general  torrent  of  ven 
eration  so  far  as  to  uncover  his  head  as  he  walks  beneath 
that  sacred  portal ;  for,  as  I  said  before,  none  can  pass 
through  the  Spass  Vorota  without  this  token  of  respect 
for  its  sacred  character.  The  greatest  of  the  Czars  have 
done  it  through  a  series  of  centuries.  The  conqueror  of 
Kazan,  Astrakan,  and  Siberia  has  here  bared  his  imperial 
head ;  Romanoff,  Peter  the  Great,  even  the  voluptuous 
Catharine,  have  here  done  reverence  to  this  holy  portal ; 
and  all  the  later  sovereigns  of  Russia,  Alexander  I.,  Nich 
olas,  and  Alexander  II.,  ere  they  received  their  kingly 
crowns,  have  passed  bareheaded  through  the  Spass  Vo 
rota.  Need  we  hesitate,  then,  profane  scoffers  as  we 
may  be,  when  such  precedents  lie  before  us  ?  Apart 
from  the  fact  that  I  always  found  it  convenient  to  do 
in  Rome  as  the  Romans  do,  and  in  Moscow  to  conform 
as  far  as  practicable  to  the  customs  of  the  Moscovites,  I 
really  have  no  prejudice  on  any  subject  connected  with 
the  religious  observances  of  other  people.  In  pleasant 
weather  I  would  walk  a  mile  bareheaded  to  oblige  any 
man  who  conscientiously  thought  it  would  do  him  the 
least  good ;  more  especially  in  a  case  like  this,  where,  if 
one  fails  to  doff  his  shlapa,  a  soldier  stands  ready  to  re 
mind  his  "brother"  or  "little  friend,"  or  possibly  "lit 
tle  father,"  that  he  (the  brother,  little  friend,  or  little  fa 
ther)  has  forgotten  his  "  beaver." 


140  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

We  have  now,  thanks  to  Dominico,  who  has  touched 
us  up  on  all  these  points,  gotten  safely  and  becomingly 
through  the  Holy  Gate  without  committing  the  sin  of 
irreverence  toward  any  of  the  saints,  living  or  dead. 
We  have  passecf  through  a  high  archway,  about  twenty 
paces  in  length,  roughly  paved  with  stones,  and  now 
put  on  our  hat  again  as  we  ascend  the  sloping  way  that 
leads  to  the  grand  esplanade  in  front  of  the  palaces  and 
churches.  This  is  a  broad  paved  space,  walled  on  the 
outer  edge,  forming  a  grand  promenade  overlooking  the 
Moskwa  River,  and  fr<^a  which  a  magnificent  view  is 
had  of  the  lower  city,  that  sweeps  over  the  valley  of  the 
south.  Standing  here,  we  have  a  grand  coup  d^ceil  of 
the  river  above  and  below,  its  bridges  covered  with 
moving  crowds,  its  barges  and  wood-boats,  and  many- 
colored  bath-houses,  glittering  in  the  sun ;  farther  off,  a, 
dazzling  wilderness  of  the  innumerable  churches  of  the 
lower  city,  with  their  green,  yellow,  red,  and  gilded  cupo 
las  and  domes;  still  beyond,  the  trees  and  shrubberies 
of  the  outer  boulevards;  to  the  left,  the  great  Foundling 
Asylum,  fronting  on  the  river,  with  its  vast  gardens  in 
the  rear ;  to  the  right,  the  Military  Hospital,  the  Bar 
racks,  and,  far  in  the  distance,  over  the  gleaming  waters 
of  the  river,  the  Sparrow  Hills,  from  which  Napoleon 
caught  the  first  glimpse  of  Moscow  ;  and  then  the  grand 
Convent  of  the  Douskoi,  within  the  outer  wall,  near  the 
Kalonga  Road  ;  from  which,  sweeping  over  toward  the 
right,  once  more  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wooded 
shade  of  the  Race-course,  the  Hospital  of  St.  Paul,  and 
the  Convent  of  St. Daniel;  and  to  the  left, beyond  the 
outer  wall,  of  various  grand  convents  and  fortifications, 
till  the  eye  is  no  longer  able  to  encompass  all  the  won 
drous  and  varied  features  of  the  scene.  Turning  now 
toward  the  north,  after  we  have  feasted  upon  this  bril 
liant  and  glittering  series  of  views,  each  one  of  which 
we  might  linger  over  for  hours  with  increased  delight, 
we  stand  facing  the  principal  palaces  and  churches  of 
the  Kremlin  —  the  Terema,  containing  the  audience 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  141 

chambers,  and  the  Granovitaya  Palata,  the  coronation 
halls  of  the  Czars ;  the  new  palaces ;  the  Cathedral  of 
the  Assumption  ;  the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki ;  the  Treas 
ury  Shd  Arsenal;  with  innumerable  glimpses  of  other 
and   scarcely  less  prominent  buildings,  which  unite  in 
forming  this  wonderful  maze  of  sacred  and  royal  edifices. 
It  would  be  very  difficult,  if  at  all  practicable,  to  convey 
by  mere  verbal  description  a  correct  and  comprehensive 
idea  of  the  strange  mingling  of  architectural  styles  here 
prevailing.     The  churches  present,  no  doubt,  the  most 
picturesque  effects,  but  this  is  not  owing  to  any  grandeur 
in  their  proportions.     None  of  them  are  either  very 
large  or  very  high;  but  they  are  singularly  varied  in 
form,  as  if  thrown  together  in  bunches,  without  regard 
to  order ;  some  with  Gothic  gables,  some  round,  some 
acutely  angular,  and  all  very  rudely  and  roughly  con 
structed,  even  the  perpendicular  lines  being  irregular. 
The  walls  are  whitewashed,  and  in  many  places  stained 
with  age.     The  roofs  are  for  the  most  part  of  earthen 
tiles,  imbiirnt  with  strong  prismatic  colors,  and  shining 
like  the  inner  surfaces  of  abalone  shells.     The  domes 
are  white,  green,  red,  and  yellow,  and  each  church  has  a 
number  of  gilded  or  striped  cupolas,  rising  irregularly 
from  the  roofs,  shaped  like  bunches  of  globular  cactus, 
such  as  one  sees  on  the  hill-sides  of  San  Diego.     If  the 
comparison  were  not  a  little  disparaging  to  their  pictur 
esque  beauty,  I  should  say  that  some  of  the  cupolas — es 
pecially  those  of  a  golden  cast — reminded  me  of  mam 
moth  pumpkins  perched  on  the  top  of  a  Mexican  Mis 
sion-house,  for  even  the  buildings  themselves  have  some 
thing  of  a  rude  Mexican  aspect  about  them.     The  new 
palace  of  the  Bolshoi  Dvoretz,  built  by  the  Emperor  Al 
exander  over  a  portion  of  the  site  of  the  old  Tartar  pal 
ace,  is  a  large,  square,  uninteresting  building,  with  noth 
ing  beyond  its  vast  extent  and  grand  fa9ade  to  recom 
mend  it.     The  Terema  and  the  Granovitaya  Palata — 
both  remains  of  the  old  Tartar  palace — are  highly  orna 
mented  with  trellised  work,  and  are  interesting  as  well 


142  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

from  their  style  of  architecture  as  their  contents.  It 
was  from  the  terraced  roof  of  the  Terema  that  Napoleon 
took  his  first  grand  view  of  the  city  of  Moscow,  after 
entering  the  gates  of  the  Kremlin.  The  one  contains  a 
fine  collection  of  curiosities,  including  various  portraits 
of  the  Czars ;  the  other  the  royal  chamber,  magnificent 
ly  decorated  with  embroidered  velvet  hangings,  eandela- 
bras,  frescoes,  gildings,  and  carved  eagles  bearing  thun 
derbolts,  and  the  great  chair  of  state,  in  which  the  em 
perors  sit  enthroned  to  receive  the  homage  of  their  vas 
sals  after  the  imposing  ceremony  of  the  coronation.  But 
it  would  be  an  endless  task  to  undertake  an  account  of 
even  a  day's  ramble  through  the  interior  of  these  vast 
palaces  and  public  buildings.  I  paid  five  rubles  for  tick 
ets  and  fees  to  porters,  and,  with  the  aid  of  Dorninico's 
enlightened  conversation,  came  out  after  my  grand  tour 
of  exploration  perfectly  bewildered  with  jeweled  crowns, 
imperial  thrones,  gilded  bedsteads,  slippery  floors,  liver 
ied  servants,  stuffed  horses,  old  guns,  swords,  and  pistols, 
glassware  and  brassware,  emeralds  and  other  precious 
stones,  and  altogether  disgusted  with  the  childish  gim- 
crackery  of  royalty.  Great  Alexander,  I  thought  to  my 
self,  who  would  be  a  Czar  of  Russia,  and  have  to  make 
his  living  at  the  expense  of  all  this  sort  of  torn-foolery  ? 
Who  would  abide  even  for  a  day  in  a  bazar  of  curiosity- 
shops,  bothered  out  of  his  wits  by  servants  and  soldiers, 
and  the  flare  and  glitter  of  jewelry?  It  certainly  all 
looked  very  shallow  and  troublesome  to  a  plain  man, 
destitute  by  nature  of  kingly  aspirations.  To  confess 
the  truth,  I  was  utterly  unable  to  appreciate  any  thing 
but  the  absurdity  of  these  things.  I  can  not  discover 
much  difference,  save  in  degree,  between  barbaric  show 
on  the  part  of  savages  and  on  that  of  civilized  people. 
For  what,  after  all,  do  these  coronation  halls  and  gew 
gaws  amount  to  ?  Who  is  truly  king  upon  earth,  when 
there  is  "  an  everlasting  King  at  whose  breath  the  earth 
shall  tremble  ?" 

Strange,  indeed,  and  not  calculated  to  exalt  one's  im- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  143 

pression  of  royalty,  is  the  fact  that,  after  purchasing  a 
ticket  to  see  all  these  relics  of  the  great  Czars  of  Russia, 
a  horde  of  officers,  servants,  and  lackeys,  in  imperial  liv 
ery,  must  be  feed  at  every  turn.  It  is  a  perfect  system 
of  plunder  from  beginning  to  end.  At  the  door  of  the 
new  palace  I  was  stopped  by  some  functionary  in  white 
stockings,  polished  slippers,  plush  breeches  and  plush 
coat,  actually  blazing  with  golden  embroidery ;  his  head 
brushed  and  oiled  to  the  intensest  limits  of  foppery,  and 
his  hands  adorned  with  white  kid  gloves,  who  refused 
to  permit  me  to  enter  until  he  had  arranged  some  infer 
nal  compact  of  pay  with  my  guide,  Dominico.  After 
showing  me  through  the  grand  chambers,  pointing  out 
the  beds,  bed-quilts,  writing-desks,  chairs,  and  wash-ba 
sins  of  the  Czars,  he  finished  up  his  half  hour's  labor  by 
making  a  profound  bow  and  holding  out  his  hand,  beg 
gar  fashion,  for  his  fee.  I  gave  him  half  a  ruble  (about 
87^  cents),  at  which  his  countenance  assumed  an  expres 
sion  of  extreme  pity  and  contempt.  Dominico  had  in 
formed  him  that  I  was  a  stranger  from  California,  which 
had  the  effect  of  eliciting  from  him  various  passages  of 
exceeding  politeness  up  to  that  moment.  But  he  now 
came  out  in  his  true  colors,  and  demanded  haughtily, 
"  Was  this  pitiful  sum  what  the  gentleman  intended  as  a 
recompense  for  his  services  ?"  Dominico  shrugged  his 
shoulders.  The  liveried  gentleman  became  excited  and 
insolent — assuring  me,  through  the  guide,  that  no  stran 
ger  of  any  pretensions  to  gentility  ever  offered  him  less 
than  a  ruble.  I  must  confess  I  was  a  little  nettled  at 
the  fellow's  manner,  and  directed  Dominico  to  tell  him 
that,  having  no  pretensions  to  gentility,  I  must  close  my 
acquaintance  with  him,  and  therefore  bid  him  good-morn 
ing.  There  never  was  an  instance  in  which  I  disappoint 
ed  any  beggar  with  so  much  good  will.  I  have  no  doubt, 
if  he  has  read  any  thing  of  California,  he  labors  under 
the  impression  that  I  am  an  escaped  convict  from  San 
Quentin. 

O  most  potent  Alexander,  Czar  of  all  the  Russias,  is 


144  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

this  the  only  way  you  have  of  paying  your  servants  ? 
Do  you  thus  make  a  raree-show  of  the  palace  of  your 
forefathers,  and  require  every  man  who  enters  it  for  the 
purpose  of  enlightening  his  benighted  understanding  to 
pay  your  imperial  lackeys  the  sum  of  three  bits  ?  Is  it 
not  enough  that  your  soldiers  and  retainers  should  hawk 
old  clothes  through  the  markets  of  the  Riadi  for  a  de 
cent  living,  without  making  a  small  speculation  out  of 
the  beds  and  wash-stands  in  which  your  noble  fathers 
slept  and  (possibly)  washed  their  faces  ? 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  objects  of  interest  within 
the  walls  of  the  Kremlin  is  the  Tzar  Kolokol,  or  King  of 
Bells,  cast  in  1730  by  order  of  the  Empress  Anne,  and 
said  to  be  not  only  the  largest  bell,  but  the  largest  metal 
casting  in  existence.  This  wonderful  bell  is  formed 
chiefly  of  contributions  of  precious  metals,  bestowed  as 
religious  offerings  by  the  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
Russian  empire.  Spoons,  plates,  coins,  and  trinkets  were 
thrown  by  the  devout  inhabitants  into  the  melting  mass, 
and  thus,  each  haviag  a  share  in  it,  the  monarch  bell  is 
regarded  with  feelings  of  peculiar  affection  and  venera 
tion  throughout  Russia.  Writers  differ  as  to  its  origi 
nal  use  and  location,  some  contending  that  it  was  first 
hung  in  a  tower,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1737, 
and  that  the  large  fragment  was  brol'en  out  of  it  in  the 
fall,  which  is  now  exhibited  by  the  side  of  the  bell ;  oth 
ers  that  it  never  was  hung  at  all,  but  that  this  fragment 
resulted  from  a  failure  in  the  casting.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
it  was  all  dug  out  of  the  ground  in  1837,  and  placed  in 
its  present  position  on  a  pedestal  of  granite,  close  by  the 
tower  of  Ivan  Veliki. 

Standing  in  an  open  space,  where  the  eye  necessarily 
takes  in  many  larger  objects,  including  the  great  tower, 
but  a  very  inadequate  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  extra 
ordinary  dimensions  of  this  bell.  Cast  in  the  usual  form, 
its  appearance  at  the  distance  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  yards 
is  not  at  all  striking ;  but  when  you  draw  near  and  com 
pare  the  height  of  the  groups  of  figures  usually  gathered 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  145 

around  it  with  that  of  the  bell,  it  is  easy  to  form  some 
conception  of  its  gigantic  proportions.  The  fragment 
placed  upright  against  the  granite  pedestal  looks  at  a 
little  distance  scarcely  three  feet  high,  but  as  you  ap 
proach  you  perceive  that  it  is  at  least  six.  The  bell  it 
self  is  twenty-one  feet  three  inches  high,  by  twenty-two 
feet  five  inches  in  diameter,  and  varies  from  three  feet 
to  three  inches  in  thickness.  Underneath  this  immense 
metallic  canopy  is  a  chapel,  in  which  is  a  shrine  at  which 
many  thousands  of  the  Russians  every  year  offer  up 
their  devotions.  The  entrance  to  this  is  through  an  iron 
gateway,  and  the  visitor  descends  several  stone  steps 
before  he  stands  upon  the  paved  floor  of  the  chapel. 
Looking  upward  and  around  him,  he  then  for  the  first 
time  realizes  the  vast  magnitude  of  this  wonderful  cast 
ing.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  conceive  that  such  a 
prodigious  body  of  metal  was  ever  at  one  time  a  molten 
mass,  seething  over  vast  furnaces.  Imagine  a  circular 
room  more  than  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  of  propor 
tionate  height,  and  you  have  some  faint  idea  of  the  in 
terior  of  the  Tzar  Kolokol.  It  is  said  that  it  required 
ten  strong  men  to  draw  the  clapper  from  the  centre  to 
the  inner  rim,  by  means  of  ropes,  so  as  to  produce  the 
ordinary  sounds  of  which  the  bell  was  capable.  This  I 
can  very  well,  credit ;  for  the  great  bell  of  the  Ivan 
Tower,  not  a  third  of  the  size  of  this,  has  an  iron  tongue 
which  requires  the  strength  of  three  men  to  strike 
against  the  rim.  The  tremendous  depth  and  volume  of 
the  tones  sent  forth  for  many  leagues  around  by  the 
monarch  bell  must  have  been  sublime  beyond  concep 
tion,  judging  by  this  single  fact,  that  while  in  Moscow, 
the  largest  bell  I  heard  sounded  was  far  inferior  in  size 
and  weight  to  that  of  the  Ivan  Tower,  which  is  rung 
only  on  state  occasions,  yet  the  sounds  were  so  deep 
and  powerful  that  they  produced  a  reverberation  in  the 
air  resembling  the  distant  roar  of  thunder,  mingled  with 
the  wailing  of  the  winds  in  a  storm.  When  all  the  bells 
of  the  tower,  save  the  largest,  were  tolled  together,  the 

G 


146  THE  LAKD  OF  THOK. 

effect  was  absolutely  sublime,  surpassing  in  the  grandeur 
and  majesty  of  their  harmony  any  thing  I  had  ever  heard 
produced  through  human  agency.  Judge,  then,  what 
must  have  been  the  effect  when  the  Tzar  Kolokol  rolled 
forth  a  jubilee  or  a  death-knell  from  his  iron  tongue! 

I  do  not  wonder  that  the  Russians  regard  this  bell 
with  such  peculiar  feelings  of  reverence.  There  is  some 
thing  to  arouse  the  most  profound  and  reverential  emo 
tions  of  our  nature  in  the  simple,  grand,  and  mysterious 
melody  of  all  great  bells — something  of  the  infinite  that 
exalts  our  thoughts  and  aspirations  from  the  earth.  In 
my  recollections  of  travel  I  have  few  purer  or  more  en 
dearing  pleasures  than  the  impressions  produced  by 
sounds  like  these.  Often  the  grand  old  strains  of  the 
bells  of  Lima,  Mexico,  and  Spain  seem  still  to  linger  on 
my  ear,  and  I  never  dream  the  wild  and  varied  dream 
of  my  travels  over  without  feeling  that  these  mysterious 
voices  from  many  lands  have  not  spoken  without  a 
meaning,  that  "  Life,  with  all  its  dreams,  shall  be  but  as 
the  passing  bell." 

From  the  Tzar  Kolokol  I  took  my  way,  under  the 
guidance  of  Dominico,  to  the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  which 
we  ascended  by  the  winding  stairway  of  stone.  The 
view  from  the  top  of  this  tower  is  incomparably  the 
finest  to  be  had  from  any  point  within  the  limits  of  Mos 
cow.  Here,  outspread  before  us  in  one  vast  circle,  lay 
the  whole  wondrous  city  of  the  Tzars — a  perfect  sea  of 
green  roofs,  dotted  over  with  innumerable  spires  and 
cupolas.  The  predominant  features  are  Asiatic,  though 
in  the  quarter  to  the  west,  called  the  Beloi  Gorod,  or 
White  City,  are  the  evidences  of  a  more  advanced  civil 
ization.  Apart  from  the  churches,  which  give  the  city 
its  chief  interest  and  most  picturesque  effect,  the  public 
buildings,  such  as  the  theatres,  hospitals,  military  bar 
racks,  colleges,  and  riding-school  possess  no  great  attrac 
tions  in  point  of  architectural  display,  and  add  but  little 
to  the  scenic  beauties  of  the  view.  In  gazing  over  this 
bewildering  maze  of  habitations  and  temples  of  worship, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  147 

I  was  again  strongly  impressed  with  some  two  or  three 
leading  characteristics,  which,  being  directly  opposed  to 
the  idea  I  had  formed  of  Moscow  before  seeing  it,  may 
be  worthy  of  repetition.  The  general  colors  of  the 
buildings,  roofs,  and  churches  are  light,  gay,  and  spark 
ling,  so  that  the  whole,  taken  in  one  sweep  of  the  eye, 
presents  an  exceedingly  brilliant  appearance,  more  like 
some  well-contrived  and  highly-wrought  optical  illusions 
in  a  theatre — such,  for  example,  as  the  fairy  scenery  of 
the  "Prophete" — than  any  thing  I  can  now  remember. 
The  vast  extent  of  the  city,  compared  with  its  popula 
tion  (the  circuit  of  its  outer  wall  being  twenty  miles, 
while  the  population  is  but  little  over  300,000),  is  anoth 
er  characteristic  feature ;  but  this  is  in  some  measure  ac 
counted  for  by  the  great  average  of  small  houses,  the 
amount  of  ground  occupied  by  the  Kremlin,  the  inner 
and  outer  boulevards,  and  the  suburbs  within  the  outer 
wall,  the  number  of  gardens  and  vacant  lots,  and  the 
large  spaces  occupied  by  the  ploschads  or  public  squares. 
Looking  beyond  the  city  and  its  immediate  suburbs, 
a  series  of  undulating  plains  lies  outstretched  toward 
the  eastward  and  southward,  while  toward  the  north 
ward  and  westward  the  horizon  is  bounded  by  low  pine- 
covered  hills  and  occasional  forests  of  birch.  No  high 
mountains  or  abrupt  outlines  are  any  where  visible — all 
is  broad  and  sweeping,  conveying  some  premonition  of 
the  vastness  of  the  steppes  that  divide  this  region  from 
the  Ural  Mountains.  Waving  fields  of  grain,  pastures 
of  almost  boundless  extent,  and  solitary  farm-houses  lie 
dim  in  the  distance,  while  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  city  cultivation  has  been  carried  to  considerable  per 
fection,  and  the  villas  and  estates  of  the  nobility  present 
something  more  of  the  appearance  of  civilization  than 
perhaps  any  thing  of  a  similar  kind  to  be  seen  in  Russia. 
Contrasted  with  the  country  around  St.  Petersburg,  and 
the  desert  of  scrubby  pines  and  marshes  lying  for  a  dis 
tance  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles  along  the  line  of  the 
railway  between  the  two  great  cities,  the  neighborhood 


148  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

of  Moscow  is  wonderfully  rich  in  rural  and  pastoral 
beauties.  Viewing  it  in  connection  with  the  city  from 
the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  I  certainly  derived  the  most 
exquisite  sensations  of  pleasure  from  the  novelty,  extent, 
and  variety  of  the  whole  scene.  Yet,  calmly  and  peace 
fully  as  it  now  slumbers  in  the  genial  sunshine  of  a  sum 
mer's  afternoon,  what  visions  it  conjures  up  of  blood 
shed  and  rapine,  plague,  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  of 
all  the  calamities  wrought  by  human  hands,  and  all  the 
appalling  visitations  of  a  divine  power  by  which  this  ill- 
fated  spot  has  been  afflicted.  Looking  back  through 
the  wide  waste  of  years,  the  mighty  hosts  of  Tamerlane 
uprise  before  us,  pouring  through  the  passes  of  the  Ural, 
and  sweeping  over  the  plains  with  their  glittering  and 
bloodstained  crests  like  demons  of  destruction  carrying 
death  and  desolation  before  them.  Then  the  giant 
Czars,  half  saints,  half  devils,  loom  through  the  flames 
of  the  ill-fated  city,  with  their  myriads  of  fierce  and  de 
fiant  warriors  stemming  the  torrent  of  invasion  with  the 
bodies  of  the  dying  and  the  dead.  Then  are  the  streets 
choked  with  blackened  ruins  and  putrid  masses,  and  the 
days  of  sorrow  and  wailing  come,  when  the  living  are 
unable  to  bury  the  dead.  Again,  a  great  famine  has 
come  upon  the  city  after  the  days  of  its  early  tribula 
tions  have  passed  away,  and  strong  men,  driven  to  des 
peration  by  the  pangs  of  hunger,  slay  their  wives  and 
children,  and  feed  upon  the  dead  bodies,  and  mothers 
devour  the  sucking  babes  in  their  arms;  and  horror 
grows  upon  horror,  till,  amid  the  slaughter,  ruin,  and 
madness  wrought  by  this  unparalleled  calamity,  a  hund 
red  thousand  corpses  lie  rotting  in  the  streets  in  a  sin 
gle  day,  and  the  city  is  decimated  of  its  inhabitants ! 
The  scene  changes  again.  Centuries  roll  on;  a  dreary 
day  has  come,  when  the  foreign  invader  once  more  holds 
possession  of  the  citadel.  With  the  prize  in  his  hands, 
fires  burst  from  every  roof  in  every  quarter.  Three 
hundred  thousand  of  the  inhabitants  have  fled ;  a  wind 
arises  and  fans  the  devouring  flame ;  churches  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  149 

houses,  temples  and  palaces,  are  wrapped  in  its  relent 
less  embraces ;  the  convicts  and  the  rabble  run  like  de 
mons  through  the  streets,  drunk  with  wine  and  reveling 
in  excesses ;  soldiers,  slaves,  and  prostitutes  pillage  the 
burning  ruins,  all  wild  and  mad  with  the  unholy  lust  of 
gain.  Soon  nothing  is  left  but  blackened  and  smoking 
masses,  the  ruins  of  palaces,  temples,  and  hospitals,  and 
the  seared  and  mutilated  corpses  of  the  dead  who  have 
been  crushed  by  the  falling  walls  or  burnt  in  the  flames. 
Then  the  invading  hosts,  stricken  with  dismay,  fly  from 
this  fated  and  ill-starred  city  to  darken  the  snows  of 
Lithuania  with  their  bodies ;  and  of  five  hundred  thou 
sand  men  —  the  flower  of  French  chivalry — but  forty 
thousand  cross  the  Beresina  to  tell  the  tale!  Surely 
Moscow,  like  Jerusalem,  hath  "  wept  sore  in  the  night." 
While  lounging  about  through  the  gilded  and  glitter 
ing  mazes  of  the  Uspenski  Saber,  almost  wearied  by  the 
perpetual  glare  of  burnished  shrines,  my  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  curious  yet  characteristic  ceremony  with 
in  these  sacred  precincts.  In  a  gold-cased  frame,  placed 
in  a  horizontal  position  in  one  of  the  alcoves  or  small 
chapels,  was  a  picture  of  a  saint  whose  cheeks  and  robes 
were  resplendent  with  gaudy  colors.  This  must  have 
been  St.  Nicholas  or  some  other  popular  personage  be 
longing  to  the  holy  phalanx.  His  mouth  was  very  near 
ly  obliterated  by  the  labial  caresses  of  the  worshipers 
who  came  there  to  bestow  upon  him  their  devotions.  A 
stone  step,  raised  about  a  foot  from  the  flagged  pave 
ment,  was  nearly  worn  through  by  the  knees  of  the  pen 
itents,  who  were  forever  dropping  down  to  snatch  a  kiss 
from  his  sacred  lips — or  at  least  what  was  left  of  them, 
for  his  mouth  was  now  little  more  than  a  dirty  blotch, 
without  the  semblance  of  its  original  outline.  While 
pondering  over  the  marvelous  ways  in  which  men  strive 
to  cast  off  the  burden  of  their  sins,  I  observed  a  very 
graceful  and  elegantly-dressed  female  approach,  and  with 
an  air  of  profound  humility  kneel  in  the  accustomed  place. 
As  she  drew  back  her  veil  she  displayed  a  remarkably 


150  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

pretty  face,  and  there  was  something  quite  enchanting 
in  the  coquetry  with  which  sher  ignored  the  presence  of 
a  stranger.  Of  course  she  could  have  had  no  idea  that 
any  person  of  the  opposite  sex  would  dare  to  think  of 
female  loveliness  in  such  a  place,  and  the  charming  un 
consciousness  of  her  manner,  as  she  adjusted  the  folds  of 
her  dress,  and  revealed  the  exquisitely  rounded  contour 
of  her  form,  was  the  very  best  proof  of  that  fact.  A  per 
fect  withdrawal  of  self  from  the  world  and  all  its  vanities 
was  her  ruling  expression.  Thrice  did  this  lovely  crea 
ture  gracefully  incline  her  head  and  kiss  the  blotched 
countenance  of  that  inanimate  saint.  Ah  me !  what  a 
luxury  it  must  be  to  be  a  saint !  What  a  lucky  fellow 
is  St.  Nicholas,  to  be  kissed  by  such  honeyed  and  pouting 
lips  as  these !  Chaste  and  pious  kisses  they  may  be,  but, 
notwithstanding  that,  it  must  be  very  hard  to  keep  cool, 
under  the  circumstances.  Who  would  not  suffer  a  life 
of  martyrdom,  and  be  turned  into  a  picture  or  an  image 
on  such  terms  ?  Surely  this  bewitching  damsel  must 
have  committed  some  dreadful  sin  to  be  thus  soliciting 
the  saintly  intercession  of  a  little  picture  with  a  dirty 
mouth !  Perhaps  she  had  recently  suffered  her  own  de 
lectable  lips  to  be  pressed  by  the  bearded  mouth-piece 
of  some  tender  and  persuasive  lover,  and  now  sought  to 
make  atonement  by  kissing  St.  Nicholas !  By  all  the 
powers  of  beauty,  I'll  forswear  sack,  Dominico,  and  try 
— ha !  here  comes  a  devotee  of  another  sort.  Let  us 
wait  a  while.  For,  as  I  live,  it  is  a  great  puncheon  of  a 
woman,  weighing  over  three  hundred  pounds — puffing 
and  steaming  as  she  waddles  toward  the  shrine — a  per 
fect  Fal  staff  in  petticoats.  Shade  of  Venus!  what  a  face 
and  figure !  Carbuncled  with  wine,  and  bloated  with 
quass  and  cabbage  soup,  I'll  bet  my  head,  Dominico, 
she's  a  countess !  How  the  juices  of  high  living  roll  from 
her  brow  as  she  stoops  down,  and  gives  the  unfortunate 
St.  Nicholas  a  greasy  dish-cloth  of  her  fat  lips !  Faugh  ! 
I'll  consider  about  my  course  of  life,  Dominico.  There 
are  some  inconveniences  in  being  a  saint.  Next  comes 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  151 

an  old  and  toothless  crone,  all  draggled  with  dirt,  limp 
ing  on  crutches  —  a  most  pitiful  object  to  look  upon. 
She  hobbles  slowly  and  painfully  up  to  the  place  just 
vacated  —  puts  her  crutches  aside,  kneels  down,  and, 
bowing  low  her  palsied  head,  presses  a  dry,  shriveled, 
and  leathery  kiss  upon  the  grease -spot  left  by  the  fat 
woman.  Thrice  she  performed  this  ceremony,  mumbling 
over  in  her  guttural  way  the  prescribed  formula ;  and 
then  rising,  regained  her  crutches,  and  begged  for  alms. 
Well,  of  course  I  gave  the  alms ;  but  the  other  part  of 
the  performance  suggested  some  painful  thoughts.  It 
was  surely  enough  to  moderate  the  ardor  of  one's  as 
pirations  toward  a  saintly  life.  Yet,  after  all,  Dominico, 
every  sweet  must  have  its  bitter.  Let  us  not  despair 
yet.  Next  comes  a  great  bearded  Mujic,  all  tattered  and 
torn — a  regular  grizzly  bear  on  his  hind  legs,  and  drunk 
at  that.  This  horrid  monster  has  evidently  not  known 
the  use  of  either  soap  or  water  for  many  a  long  day. 
His  accustomed  beverage  must  be  vodka,  and  grease  the 
only  application  ever  used  to  purify  his  skin.  He,  too, 
kneels  down  and  gives  the  image  three  cordial  smacks 
— a  pretty  heavy  penalty  to  endure  on  the  part  of  any 
saint.  Upon  my  word,  Dominico,  I  don't  think  it  would 
be  possible  for  me  to  stand  that!  But  hold  —  here 
comes  a  fellow  who  caps  the  climax.  A  bilious,  yellow- 
skinned,  black-eyed  fop,  dressed  in  the  height  of  fashion, 
with  frizzled  black  hair,  divided  behind,  and  smelling 
strong  of  pomatum,  a  well-oiled  mustache,  and  a  simper 
ing,  supercilious  expression  —  one  of  those  nasty  crea 
tures  that  old  Kit  North  says  never  can  be  washed  clean. 
He  looks  conceited  and  silly  enough  to  be  an  attache  to 
the  court  of  his  imperial  highness  the  emperor.  When 
this  fellow  knelt  before  the  picture  and  slavered  it  with 
his  ugly  mouth,  a  dizzy  sensation  of  disgust  came  over 
me.  Upon  a  general  review  of  all  the  circumstances, 
Dominico,!  have  concluded  that  it  might  not  be  so  pleas 
ant,  after  all,  to  be  a  saint — in  Russia. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  from  this  little  sketch  of  a 


152  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

characteristic  scene  that  I  wish  to  ridicule  any  form  of 
religion.  I  saw  precisely  what  I  state,  and  am  in  no  way 
responsible  for  it.  If  people  imagine  this  sort  of  thing 
does  them  any  good,  they  are  quite  welcome  to  enjoy  it; 
but  they  must  not  expect  every  body  else  to  be  impress 
ed  with  the  profound  sensations  of  solemnity  which  they 
feel  themselves.  The  Russians  may  kiss  the  heads  off 
every  saint  in  Moscow  without  the  slightest  concern  or 
opposition  on  my  part.  The  Romans  have  kissed  a 
pound  of  brass  off  the  big  toe  of  St.  Peter,  in  the  grand 
Cathedral  at  Rome,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  other  races 
should  not  enjoy  similar  privileges,  only  it  does  not  pro 
duce  the  same  effect  upon  every  body. 

Yet,  in  some  sense,  such  scenes  are  not  without  an  as 
pect  of  sadness.  It  is  melancholy  to  look  upon  such  a 
mingling  of  glitter  and  barbarism,  wealth  and  poverty, 
sincerity,  debasement,  and  crime.  No  human  being  is 
truly  ridiculous,  however  grotesque  may  be  the  expres 
sion  of  his  feelings,  when  they  are  the  genuine  outpour 
ing  of  a  contrite  heart.  These  nobles,  common  citizens, 
and  beggars,  thus  meeting  upon  common  ground,  in  a 
country  where  the  distinctions  of  rank  are  so  rigidly 
observed,  and  for  the  time  being  disregarding  all  differ 
ences  of  condition  ;  forgetting  their  ambitions,  their  jeal 
ousies,  and  animosities,  and  giving  themselves  up  with 
such  unselfish  zeal  to  all  the  demands  made  upon  them 
by  their  forms  of  religion,  is,  in  itself,  a  touching  and  im 
pressive  sight.  I  confess  that  when  the  first  shock  of 
grotesqueness,  so  strikingly  connected  with  all  I  saw, 
passed  away,  the  feeling  left  was  one  of  unutterable  sad 
ness.  These  people  were  all  fellow -beings,  and,  right 
or  wrong,  they  were  profoundly  in  earnest ;  yet,  while 
thinking  thus,  I  could  not  but  fancy  the  same  divine 
strain  of  warning  that  was  wafted  to  the  house  of  Israel 
still  lingered  in  the  air:  "Every  man  is  brutish  in  his 
knowledge ;  every  founder  is  confounded  by  the  graven 
image;  for  his  molten  image  is  falsehood,  and  there  is 
no  breath  in  them;  they  are  vanity  and  the  work  of 


THE  LAND  OF  TI1OK.  153 

errors  ;   in  the  time  of  their  visitation  they  shall  per 
ish." 

In  reference  to  the  interiors  of  the  churches  of  the 
Kremlin,  I  can  only  find  space  to  say,  after  having  visit 
ed  them  all,  that  they  present  a  confusion  of  gilded  and 
glittering  aisles,  pillars,  alcoves,  chapels,  arid  painted 
domes,  which  baffles  any  thing  like  accurate  description. 
The  Cathedral  of  the  Assumption  is  literally  lined  with 
gilding,  daubs  of  paintings  representing  scriptural  scenes, 
figures  and  pictures  of  saints,  dragons  and  devils  of  ev 
ery  conceivable  color  and  oddity  of  design  and  costume, 
and  burnished  shrines  and  candelabras.  Through  the 
dazzling  mazes  of  this  sacred  edifice  crowds  of  devotees, 
priests,  and  penitents  are  continually  wandering ;  here, 
casting  themselves  upon  their  knees,  and  bowing  down 
before  some  gold-covered  shrine ;  there  standing  in  mute 
and  rapt  adoration  before  some  pictured  symbol  of  eter 
nity — grandees,  beggars,  andall ;  the  priests  bearing  ta 
pers  and  chanting ;  the  air  filled  with  incense ;  the  whole 
scene  an  indescribable  combination  of  moving  appeals  to 
the  senses.  All  the  churches  of  the  Kremlin  partake, 
more  or  less,  of  this  character.  In  some  of  them,  the  old 
bones  and  other  relics  held  peculiarly  sacred  are  inclosed 
within  iron  gratings  or  railings,  and  are  only  accessible 
to  the  visitor  through  the  services  of  a  priestly  guide. 
Every  visitor  must,  of  course,  pay  for  the  gratification 
of  his  curiosity;  so  that  the  bones  of  the  most  venerated 
characters  in  the  history  of  the  Russian  Church  are  turn 
ed  into  a  considerable  source  of  profit.  It  may  well  be 
said  that  every  saint  pays  his  own  way,  so  long  as  there 
is  a  fragment  of  him  left  in  this  world.  If  one  could  be 
assured  of  the  truth  of  all  he  learns  during  a  tour  of  in 
spection  through  these  receptacles  of  sacred  relics,  it 
would  indeed  confound  all  his  previous  impressions  that 
the  days  of  miracles  had  passed.  There  is  a  picture  in 
the  Uspenski  Saber,  the  bare  contemplation  of  which, 
combined  with  a  fervent  appeal,  it  is  confidently  assert 
ed,  recently  effected  a  sudden  and  wonderful  cure  in  the 
G2 


154  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

case  of  a  crippled  man,  who  was  carried  there  from  his 
bed,  but  after  his  devotions  before  this  picture  walked 
out  of  the  door  as  well  as  ever ;  and  every  where  about 
these  sacred  precincts  pictures  and  carved  images  are 
abundant  which  at  stated  intervals  shed  tears  and  mani 
fest  other  tokens  of  vitality. 

Outside,  on  the  steps  of  these  churches,  the  stranger 
encounters  innumerable  gangs  of  beggars,  who  watch 
his  incoming  and  his  outgoing  with  the  most  intense 
eagerness — rushing  toward  him  with  outstretched  hands, 
calling  upon  all  the  saints  to  bless  him  and  his  issue  for 
ever  and  ever,  and  sometimes  bowing  down  to  the  earth 
before  him,  in  their  accustomed  way,  as  if  he  himself 
partook  of  some  sacred  attributes.  Apart  from  the 
wretched  aspect  of  these  poor  creatures,  among  which 
were  the  lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blind  from  all  the  pur 
lieus  of  Moscow,  there  was  something  very  revolting  in 
the  debasement  of  their  attitudes.  To  assist  them  all 
was  impossible;  and  I  often  had  to  struggle  through 
the  crowds  with  feelings  akin  to  remorse  in  being  com 
pelled  to  leave  them  thus  vainly  appealing  to  my  char 
ity.  When  alone,  hours  after,  the  weary  and  pathetic 
strain  of  their  supplications  would  haunt  me,  bearing  in 
its  sorrowful  intonations  a  weird  warning  that  we  are 
all  bound  together  in  the  great  fellowship  of  sin. 

And  now,  while  we  are  taking  our  last  lingering  look 
at  the  Kremlin,  the  mighty  bells  of  the  tower  toll  forth 
a  funeral  knell.  A  priest  lies  dead  in  one  of  the  church 
es,  his  coffin  draped  in  the  habiliments  of  woe.  The 
chanting  rises  ever  and  anon  above  the  death -knell 
that  sweeps  through  the  air.  Standing  aloof,  we  listen 
to  the  solemn  sounds  of  mourning.  The  funeral  cortege 
comes  forth  from  the  church.  The  hearse,  with  its 
plumed  horses  all  draped  in  black,  receives  the  coffin ; 
priests  and  mourners,  bearing  lighted  tapers,  lead  the 
way,  chanting  a  requiem  for  the  departed ;  and  thus 
they  pass  before  us — the  living  and  the  dead — till  they 
reach  the  Holy  Gate.  Then  the  priests  and  the  crowd 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  155 

bow  down  and  pray ;  and  when  they  have  passed  out 
from  under  the  sacred  arch,  they  turn  before  the  image 
of  the  Savior  and  pray  again ;  then  rising,  they  cross 
themselves  devoutly  and  pass  on  to  the  last  earthly  rest 
ing-place  of  their  friend  and  brother. 

Surely  death  draws  us  nearer  together  in  life.  I 
thought  no  more  of  forms.  What  matters  it  if  we  are 
all  true  to  our  Creator  and  to  our  convictions  of  duty ! 
Life  is  too  short  to  spend  in  earthly  contentions. 

"  In  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  groweth  up ;  in 
the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withereth." 


CHAPTER  X.V. 

RUSSIAN   MANNERS    AND   CUSTOMS. 

RUDE  and  savage  as  the  lower  orders  are  in  their  ex 
ternal  appearance,  they  certainly  can  not  be  considered 
deficient  in  politeness,  if  the  habit  of  bowing  be  taken 
as  an  indication.  In  that  branch  of  civilization  they  are 
well  entitled  to  take  rank  with  the  Germans  and  French, 
from  whom,  doubtless,  they  have  acquired  many  of  their 
forms  of  etiquette.  Something,  however,  of  Asiatic  grav 
ity  and  courtliness  mingles  with  whatever  they  may 
have  adopted  from  the  more  sprightly  and  demonstrative 
races  of  the  South ;  and  a  certain  degree  of  dignity,  ac 
companied  though  it  may  be  with  rags  and  filth,  is  al 
ways  observable  in  their  manners.  The  alacrity,  good 
nature,  and  enthusiasm  so  characteristic  of  the  Germans, 
and  the  dexterous  play  of  muscles  and  vivacious  suavity 
of  the  French,  are  wholly  deficient  in  the  Russians — 
such  of  them,  at  least,  as  have  retained  their  nationality. 
The  higher  classes,  of  course,  who  frequently  spend  their 
summers  at  the  watering-places  of  Germany  and  their 
winters  in  Paris,  come  home,  like  all  traveled  gentlemen, 
with  a  variety  of  elegant  accomplishments,  the  chief  of 
which  is  a  disgust  for  their  own  language  and  customs. 
This,  indeed,  seems  to  be  a  characteristic  of  several  other 


150  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

nations — an  inordinate  desire  to  become  denationalized 
by  imitating  whatever  is  meretricious  and  absurd  in 
other  people  ;  and  you  need  not  be  surprised  should  you 
fail  to  recognize  even  your  unpretending  friend  and  cor 
respondent  on  his  return  to  California;  for  although  I 
still  pretend  to  write  a  little  English,  I  no  longer  speak 
it  except  in  broken  accents.  Having  also  worn  out 
three  good  hats  practicing  the  art  of  bowing  on  the 
boulevards  of  Paris  and  the  glacis  of  Frankfort,  I  never 
pretend  now  to  recognize  any  body  without  striking  the 
top  of  my  tile  against  the  cap  of  my  knee. 

This,  you  see,  is  all  in  the  way  of  excuse  for  the  Rus 
sians,  and  arises  rather  from  an  excess  of  good  nature 
than  an  excess  of  egotism.  Constant  practice  in  the  so 
lemnities  of  street-worship — uncovering  their  heads  and 
bowing  low  before  their  numerous  saints  and  shrines — 
may  have  some  influence  upon  the  stateliness  of  Rus 
sian  politeness.  It  is,  however,  a  very  prominent  and 
characteristic  trait,  and  in  some  of  its  phases  rather  as 
tounding  to  a  stranger.  A  common  thing  in  the  streets 
of  Moscow  is  to  see  a  couple  of  sturdy  beggars,  uncouth 
as  grizzly  bears,  meet  and  stop  before  each  other  with 
the  utmost  and  most  punctilious  gravity.  Beggar  num 
ber  one  takes  his  greasy  cap  from  his  head  slowly  and 
deliberately,  gives  it  a  graceful  sweep  through  the  air, 
and,  with  a  most  courtly  obeisance,  exhibits  the  matted 
tuft,  or  the  bald  spot  on  the  top  of  his  head,  to  his 
ragged  friend.  Beggar  number  two  responds  in  a  sim 
ilar  courteous  style,  neither  uttering  a  word.  Each  then 
gravely  replaces  his  cap,  touches  the  brim  of  it  once  or 
twice  by  way  of  representing  a  few  extra  bows,  and 
passes  on  his  way  with  an  expression  of  profound  digni 
ty,  utterly  unconscious  of  the  grotesque  effect  of  all  this 
ceremony  to  a  stranger.  I  have  seen  the  most  vaga 
bond-looking  istrovoschik,  or  drosky-drivers,  jump  out 
of  their  drosky  and  perform  similar  courtesies  toward 
each  other ;  and  where  men  of  this  craft  are  given  to 
politeness,  one  may  rest  assured  that  it  roust  be  a  na- 


i 


158  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

tional  characteristic.  All  seem  to  be  the  slaves  of  cer 
emony,  from  the  Czar  down  to  the  Mujik.  Porters, 
wagoners,  water-carriers,  butchers,  bakers,  and  chimney 
sweeps  are  equally  skilled  in  the  noble  art  of  bowing. 
At  first,  judging  by  the  uncouth  faces  and  the  grimy  cos 
tumes  of  these  interesting  people,  such  passages  of  po 
liteness  have  very  much  the  effect  of  burlesque.  It 
seems  impossible  that  men  of  such  rude  aspect  can  be  in 
earnest.  One  soon  gets  used  to  it,  however,  and  regards 
it  as  a  matter  of  course.  I  could  not  but  think  how 
strange  it  would  look  to  see  a  couple  of  Sacramento  or 
San  Francisco  hack-drivers  meet  in  some  populous  part 
of  the  town,  and  each  one  take  off  his  hat  to  the  other, 
and,  with  a  graceful  flourish,  make  a  courtly  salaam ;  or 
a  pair  of  draymen  stop  their  drays,  get  down  leisurely, 
approach  each  other  in  an  attitude  of  impressive  dignity, 
take  off  theif  hats,  and  double  themselves  up  before  an 
admiring  audience.  They  would  certainly  be  suspected 
in  our  rude  country  of  poking  fun  at  each  other.  I  can 
very  well  understand  why  butchers  and  chimney-sweeps 
should  be  polite,  since  they  are  accustomed  to  scraping ; 
and  the  custom  looks  appropriate  enough  with  many 
other  classes,  including  barbers,  who  are  generally  men 
of  oily  manners,  and  tailors  and  printers,  who  are  natu 
rally  given  to  forms;  but  with  men  whose  business  is 
intimately  associated  with  horse-flesh,  I  must  say  it  has 
something  of  a  satirical  aspect.  Never  in  this  world 
can  I  force  myself  to  believe  that  a  hack-driver  is  in 
earnest  in  any  thing  short  of  his  fare.  Do  not  under 
stand  me  as  casting  any  injurious  reflection  upon  this 
valuable  class  of  men;  but  it  is  a  melancholy  feature  in 
humanity — of  which  sad  experience  enables  me  to  speak 
feelingly — that  integrity  and  horse-flesh  are  antagonist- 
ical,  and  can  never  go  together.  For  the  hack-driver 
personally  I  have  great  respect.  He  is  a  man  of  the 
world  —  knows  a  thing  or  two  about  every  body  and 
every  thing;  is  constitutionally  addicted  to  cheating, 
and  elevates  that  noble  propensity  into  one  of  the  fine 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  159 

arts ;  maintains  his  independent  character,  and  pockets 
his  extraordinary  profits  in  the  face  of  all  municipal  re 
strictions  ;  scoffs  at  the  reign  of  the  law,  and  drinks  his 
regular  bitters.  I  consider  him  a  persecuted  and  an  in 
jured  man;  but  of  such  elastic  stuff  is  he  made  that  he 
rises  above  all  persecutions  and  all  injuries,  and  still  is, 
and  ever  will  be,  master  of  that  portion  of  the  human 
race  which  travels  and  abounds  in  cities.  He  is  given 
to  humor,  too,  is  the  hackman.  Nobody  better  under 
stands  how  to  give  a  joke,  or  to  resent  one.  An  adept 
in  ridicule,  he  always  enjoys  it  when  not  applied  to  him 
self.  If  he  is  deficient  in  any  one  quality,  perhaps  it  is 
piety.  Hack-drivers,  as  a  class,  are  not  pious  men  ;  they 
may  be  very  good  men  in  their  way,  but,  strictly  speak 
ing,  they  are  not  pious.  Neither  are  they  much  given 
to  mutual  courtesies,  especially  at  steam-boat  landings. 
Therefore  I  say  that  to  see  hack-drivers  bow  down  be 
fore  shrines  and  stop  on  public  thoroughfares,  and  with 
the  utmost  gravity  uncover  their  heads  and  interchange 
courtly  salaams — nay,  even  kiss  hands  in  certain  cases — 
is  a  novel  and  peculiar  spectacle,  suggestive  of  improve 
ments  which  might  be  beneficially  imported  into  oui 
country. 

There  was  an  impassive,  abstracted  air  about  Do- 
minico  very  difficult  to  describe,  but  very  impressive  to 
a  stranger.  All  these  peculiarities  were  developed  the 
first  or  second  day  of  our  acquaintance.  About  the 
third  he  seemed  to  grow  impatient,  hummed  over  a  few 
gems  from  unknown  operas,  and  was  less  disposed  than 
usual  to  unbend  himself.  There  was  evidently  a  cool 
ness  growing  up  between  us.  I  suspected  it  originated 
in  my  hat,  which  was  really  very  shabby ;  and  fancied  I 
detected  a  supercilious  expression  in  his  eye  as  it  ranged 
over  my^  coat  and  down  to  my  boots.  At  length  he 
said, "  Monsieur,  you  appear  to  travel  with  very  little 
baggage !" 

Myself.  Yes,  only  a  knapsack. 

Dominico  (after  a  pause).  Pray  what  business  may 
Monsieur  be  engaged  in  ? 


160  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

M.  None  at  all — just  ranging  about  miscellaneously. 

J)om.  May  I  be  so  bold  as  to  ask  what  part  of  En 
gland  does  Monsieur  come  from  ? 

M.  Oh,  I  didn't  come  from  England  at  all ! 

Doin.  (puzzled).  Pray  where  does  Monsieur  come 
from  ? 

M.  Oh,  just  come  from  over  the  way  there  —  Cali 
fornia  ! 

Dom.  (elevating  his  eyebrows  and  stopping  sudden 
ly).  California?  The  great  gold  country  ?  Where  they 
dig  gold  out  of  the  ground  ? 

M.  Yes — that's  my  country. 

Dom.  (admiringly).  Oh,  then,  Monsieur  is  a  gentle 
man  of  fortune,  just  traveling  for  pleasure? 

M.  Precisely  ;  for  pleasure  and  information  combined. 
My  estates  are  situated  in  the  city  of  Oakland. 

Dom.  Is  that  a  large  city  ? 

M.  Well,  it  covers  a  good  deal  of  ground — as  much,  I 
think,  as  Moscow. 

Dom.  If  Monsieur  pleases,  we  will  take  a  drosky  and 
visit  some  of  the  gardens  ? 

M.  Agreed. 

And  so  ended  the  conversation.  It  was  marvelous, 
the  change  it  produced  in  Dominico ;  how  his  dignity 
evaporated ;  how  vivacious  he  became ;  how  frank  and 
unreserved  he  was  in  his  descriptions  of  the  wonders  of 
Moscow ;  how  he  scorned  to  take  trifles  of  change,  and 
how  magnificently  he  disregarded  expenses.  Wherever 
we  went,  however  grand  the  domestics,  soldiers,  or  po 
lice,  Dominico  was  always  high 'above  them,  and  I  could 
hear  him  descanting  constantly  on  the  wonderful  rich 
ness  of  California.  Doubtless  the  strain  of  his  conversa 
tion  ran  about  thus :  "  Behold,  gentlemen,!  have  brought 
before  you  a  living  Californian !  Notwithstanding  tho 
shabbiness  of  his  hat,  and  the  strange  and  uncivilized 
aspect  of  his  clothes,  he  is  the  richest  man  in  that  land 
of  gold !  Yes,  gentlemen,  his  income  can  scarcely  fall 
short  of  ten  millions  of  rubles  per  annum.  Make  way, 
if  vou  please !" 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  161 

All  things  considered,  Dominico  let  me  off  pretty  well 
at  the  close  of  our  acquaintance,  upon  my  explaining  to 
him  that  a  draft  for  five  hundred  thousand  rubles  which 
ought  to  be  on  the  way  had  failed  to  reach  me,  owing- 
doubtless  to  some  irregularity  in  the  mail  service,  or 
some  sudden  depression  in  my  Washoe  stocks. 

In  the  way  of  food  the  hotels  are  well  supplied,  and 
the  fare  is  not  bad  in  the  principal  cities.  Fish  and 
game  are  abundant,  but  veal  is  the  standard  dish.  I 
called  for  a  beef-steak  at  the  hotel  in  St.  Petersburg,  and 
was  furnished  wTith  veal.  The  soup  was  made  of  veal. 
After  salad  we  had  veal  cutlets.  Then  came  a  veal 
stew ;  next  in  order  was  a  veal  pie  ;  and  before  the 
courses  were  finished  I  think  we  had  calf's  head  baked 
and  stuffed.  At  a  station-house  on  the  way  to  Moscow 
I  hurriedly  purchased  a  sandwich.  It  was  made  of  veal. 
I  asked  for  mutton-chops  at  the  hotel  in  Moscow,  and 
got  veal.  In  fact,  I  was  surfeited  with  veal  in  every 
possible  shape  wherever  I  went. 

Now  I  am  not  particular  in  matters  of  diet.  In  a  case 
of  emergency  I  can  relish  buzzard,  but  if  there  is  any  one 
kind  of  food  upon  earth  that  I  think  never  was  designed 
to  be  eaten,  it  is  veal.  No  very  young  meat  is  good,  to 
my  notion — not  even  young  pig,  so  temptingly  described 
by  the  gentle  Elia;  nor  young  dog,  so  much  esteemed 
by  Chinese  and  Russian  epicures.  It  has  neither  the  con 
sistency  nor  the  flavor  of  the  mature  animal,  and  some 
how  suggests  unpleasant  images  of  flabby  innocence. 
There  is  something  horribly  repugnant  to  one's  sense  of 
humanity  in  killing  and  devouring  a  helpless  little  calf. 
Who  but  a  cannibal  can  look  the  innocent  creature  in 
the  face,  with  its  soft  confiding  eyes,  its  gentle  and  baby- 
like  manners,  and  calculate  upon  devouring  its  brains,  or 
satisfying  the  cravings  of  hunger  upon  its  tender  ribs  ? 
Who  can  see  the  butcher,  with  his  murderous  knife  in 
such  a  connection,  without  a  sting  of  remorse  at  the  idea 
of  the  mother's  grief — her  great  eyes  swimming  in  tears, 
her  lowing  cries  haunting  him  for  days  ?  I  never  see  a 


162  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

gang  of  these  helpless  little  creatures  driven  to  the 
shambles  without  thinking  of  that  touching  picture,  the 
Murder  of  the  Innocents. 

In  vain  I  tried  to  escape  this  veal  passion  in  Russia. 
Nay,  even  in  Finland  and  Sweden  it  pursued  me.  I 
actually  began  to  feel  flabby,  and  felt  ashamed  to  look 
the  poor  cows  in  the  face.  It  was  a  marvel  how  the  cat 
tle,  of  which  there  seemed  to  be  no  lack,  ever  arrived  at 
maturity.  If  the  people  kill  all  the  calves,  as  appeared 
to  be  the  case,  in  the  name  of  wonder,  where  do  the 
cows  come  from?  This  question  puzzled  me  exceed 
ingly  for  some  time,  and  was  only  solved  when  I  asked 
a  Russian  to  explain  it.  "  Oh,"  said  he,  smiling  at  my 
simplicity,  "  they  only  kill  the  male  calves.  They  allow 
the  cow  calves  to  grow  up !" 

Still,  when  I  came  to  reflect  upon  the  reason  given,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  they  must  be  a  very  singular  race 
of  cows.  Perhaps  they  were  Amazonian  cows. 

This  leads  me  by  an  easy  and  not  ungraceful  tran 
sition  to  the  Foundling  Asylum  of  Moscow,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  remarkable  institutions  of  the  kind  in 
the  world.  In  other  public  places  throughout  Europe, 
especially  in  picture-galleries  and  museums,  the  visitor  is 
required  to  deliver  up  his  walking-stick  at  the  door,  in 
return  for  which  he  receives  a  ticket  corresponding  with 
one  fastened  upon  the  article  itself — as  in  baggage-cars 
upon  the  railway,  so  that  he  may  redeem  it  when  he 
thinks  proper.  But  I  had  little  thought,  in  my  experi 
ence  of  foreign  travel,  that  a  similar  system  should  pre 
vail  in  regard  to  the  deposit  of  living  beings,  as  in  the 
foundling  establishment  of  Moscow.  Here,  any  body 
with  a  surplus  baby  can  carry  it  and  have  it  labeled 
around  the  neck,  receive  a  ticket  in  return  correspond 
ing  in  number  with  the  deposit,  and  call  for  it  at  any 
future  time,  certain  that  it  will  be  delivered  up — if  alive. 
The  building  is  of  immense  extent,  and  is  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Moskwa  River,  near  the  lower  part  of 
the  town.  The  grounds  around  it  are  tastefully  laid  out, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  163 

and  must  occupy  twenty  or  thirty  acres,  the  whole  being 
surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and  comprising  numerous 
and  substantial  outhouses,  workshops,  etc.,  for  the  use 
of  the  establishment.  Many  thousand  children  are  an 
nually  taken  in  and  nursed  at  this  institution,  no  restric 
tion  being  imposed  upon  the  parents,  who  may  be  either 
married  or  single,  to  suit  their  own  taste  or  condition. 
The  regular  force  of  wet-nurses  employed  is  about  six 
hundred,  besides  which  there  are  numerous  dry-nurses 
and  teachers  for  the  older  children.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  entire  expense  of  conducting  the  establishment  is 
not  less  than  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  rubles  per 
annum,  most  of  which  is  defrayed  by  voluntary  contri 
butions  and  interest  received  on  loans. 

I  spent  a  forenoon  rambling  through  the  various  wards, 
and  can  safely  say  I  never  before  saw  such  an  extraor 
dinary  collection  of  human  squabs  within  one  inclosure. 
It  was  certainly  one  of  the  strangest  and  saddest  spec 
tacles  I  had  ever  witnessed — so  many  infant  specimens 
of  humanity,  bundled  up  like  little  packages  of  merchan 
dise,  labeled,  numbered,  and  nursed  with  a  mathematical 
regularity  fearfully  inconsistent  with  one's  notions  of  the 
softness  and  tenderness  of  babyhood.  To  be  sure,  they 
are  well  treated — kindly  and  gently  treated,  perhaps; 
but  it  is  pitiful  to  see  these  helpless  little  creatures  be 
reft  of  the  gentle  motherly  touch  ;  washed,  physicked, 
nursed,  and  too  often  buried  by  hired  and  unsympathiz- 
ing  hands ;  and  no  more  thought  of  them,  save  in  the 
way  of  duty,  than  so  many  little  animals  destitute  of 
souls.  The  very  idea  of  attachments  formed  by  nurses 
is  of  itself  a  painful  subject  of  contemplation  ;  for  of 
what  avail  is  it  that  a  child  should  be  loved  by  its  nurse, 
or  find  in  her  a  new  mother,  when  by  the  rules  of  the 
establishment  there  must  be  constant  separations.  It  is 
said  that  over  twenty -five  thousand  children  derive, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  support  from  this  establish 
ment.  About  six  thousand  are  taken  in  annually,  of 
which  perhaps  one  fourth  die.  Many  of  them  are  not 


164  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

far  from  dead  when  admitted ;  and  it  is  only  surprising, 
considering  the  deprivations  they  must  endure  in  bein^ 
so  suddenly  withdrawn  from  the  mother's  care,  that  so 
large  a  proportion  should  survive. 

If  it  be  a  wise  child  that  knows  its  own  father,  it 
would  be  a  very  remarkable  father  who  could  recognize 
his  own  child  among  such  a  variegated  collection  as  I 
saw  here.  Never  upon  earth  was  there  a  more  astonish 
ing  mixture  of  baby  flesh — big  babies  and  little  babies, 
pug-nosed,  black-eyed,  blue-eyed,  fat  and  lean,  red,  yel 
low,  and  white  babies — all  sorts  ever  invented  or  brought 
to  light  in  this  curious  world  of  ours.  Yet  the  utmost 
order  was  observed,  and  the  beds,  nurses,  cribs,  and  feed 
ing  apparatus  looked  wonderfully  clean  for  a  Russian 
institution,  where  cleanliness  is  not  generally  the  pre 
vailing  characteristic.  But,  great  guns !  what  music 
they  must  make  when  they  all  get  started  in  one  grand 
simultaneous  chorus  !  five  or  six  hundred  babies,  of  both 
sexes,  from  one  to  two  or  three  years  old,  in  one  depart 
ment  ;  as  many  girls  from  three  to  five  in  another ;  boys 
of  the  same  age  in  another ;  older  boys  and  older  girls 
innumerable  in  another !  What  a  luxury  it  must  be  to 
hear  them  all  together !  In  general,  however,  they  do 
not  make  as  much  noise  as  might  be  supposed.  I  only 
heard  about  forty  or  fifty  small  choruses  while  there  ; 
but,  trifling  as  that  was,  it  enabled  me  to  form  an  idea 
of  the  style  of  music  that  might  be  made  when  five  or 
six  thousand  gave  their  whole  mind  to  it.  I  am  person 
ally  acquainted  with  one  small  baby  not  over  a  couple 
of  years  old,  who,  when  excited  of  nights,  can  very  near 
ly  raise  the  roof  off  the  house,  and  am  certain  that  five 
hundred  of  the  same  kind  would  burst  the  whole  city  of 
Moscow  sky-high  if  ever  they  got  at  it  together.  These 
Russian  foundlings,  however,  are  generally  heavy-faced, 
lymphatic  babies,  and  fall  naturally  into  the  machine  ex 
istence  which  becomes  their  fate  ;  otherwise  it  would 
seem  a  hard  life  for  the  poor  nurses,  who  are  not  always 
gifted  with  the  patient  endurance  of  mothers.  I  was 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  165 

told  that  the  children  only  cried  periodically,  say  at  in 
tervals  of  every  four  hours,  but  hardly  credit  that  state 
ment.  Being  for  the  most  part  soggy  little  animals,  they 
spend  a  goodly  portion  of  their  time  in  sleep,  and  doubt 
less,  when  not  sleeping,  are  much  given  to  eating  and 
drinking. 

During  the  summer  months  several  thousand  of  these 
children  are  sent  out  in  the  country  to  nurse,  after  which 
they  are  returned  in  due  order.  As  soon  as  they  become 
old  enough,  they  are  taught  reading  and  writing,  and  the 
most  intelligent  are  selected  to  become  teachers.  The 
boys  usually  receive  a  military  education,  and  a  certain 
proportion  of  them  furnish  recruits  for  the  imperial 
army. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DESPOTISM    VerSUS   SERFDOM. 

THE  reader  has  probably  discovered  by  this  time  that 
I  have  no  great  affection  for  the  political  institutions  of 
Europe,  and  am  pretty  strong  in  my  prejudices  against 
despotic  governments  of  all  sorts.  The  fact  is,  I  believe 
our  own,  with  all  its  faults,  is  the  best  system  of  govern 
ment  ever  devised  by  man. 

The  Emperor  Alexander  II.  is  admitted  on  all  hands 
to  be  a  most  estimable  and  enlightened  sovereign.  He 
possesses,  in  a  greater  degree,  perhaps,  than  any  of  his 
predecessors,  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his  people. 
All  his  labors  since  he  ascended  the  throne  in  February, 
1855,  have  been  directed  to  the  emancipation  of  the  serfs 
and  the  general  welfare  of  his  country.  No  fault  can  be 
found  with  him  by  the  most  ardent  advocate  of  human 
liberty.  His  sympathies  are — as  far  as  it  is  practicable 
for  those  of  an  autocrat,  clothed  with  absolute  powers, 
to  be — in  favor  of  freedom.  Toward  the  people  and  the 
government  of  the  United  States  he  entertains  the  most 
kindly  feeling,  and  would  doubtless  sincerely  regret  the 


166  THE  LAND  OF  THOR 

overthrow  of  our  republican  system.  He  has,  moreover, 
devoted  himself  with  unceasing  zeal  to  the  abolition  of 
many  onerous  and  unnecessary  restrictions  upon  the  lib 
erty  of  the  press  and  the  civil  rights  of  his  subjects ;  en 
couraged  institutions  of  learning ;  prohibited  to  a  con 
siderable  extent  cruelty  and  oppression  in  the  subordin 
ate  branches  of  the  public  service ;  and  in  all  respects 
has  proved  himself  equal  to  the  great  duty  imposed  upon 
him,  and  worthy  the  esteem  and  commendation  of  the 
civilized  world.  Yet  I  can  not  see  what  there  is  in  a 
despotic  form  of  government,  under  the  very  best  cir 
cumstances,  to  enlist  our  admiration  or  win  our  sympa 
thies.  We  may  respect  and  appreciate  a  good  ruler,  but 
every  autocrat  is  not  good  of  his  kind ;  nor  is  every 
country  in  a  happy  condition  because  it  may  be  exempt 
from  the  horrors  of  commotion.  But  no  sovereign  pow 
er  can  ever  attain  a  rank  among  the  civilized  nations  of 
the  earth — beyond  the  respect  to  which  its  brute  force 
may  entitle  it — so  long  as  the  very  germ  of  its  existence 
is  founded  in  the  suppression  of  civil  and  political  lib 
erty  among  its  subjects. 

What,  after  all,  does  the  emancipation  of  the  serfs 
amount  to  ?  They  are  only  to  be  nominally  free.  The 
same  power  that  accords  them  the  poor  privilege  of  till 
ing  the  earth  for  their  own  subsistence  may  at  any  time 
withdraw  it.  They  are  not  to  be  owned  by  individual 
proprietors,  and  bought  and  sold  like  cattle;  but  they 
possess  none  of  the  privileges  of  freemen  ;  have  no  voice 
in  the  laws  that  govern  them;  must  pay  any  taxes  im 
posed  upon  them ;  may  be  ordered,  at  any  time,  to  aban 
don  their  homes  and  sacrifice  their  lives  in  foolish  and 
unnecessary  wars  in  which  they  have  no  interest ;  in 
short,  are  just  as  much  slaves  as  they  were  before,  with 
the  exception  that  during  the  pleasure  of  the  emperor 
they  can  not  be  sold.  But  will  every  emperor  be  equally 
humane  ?  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  successor  of 
Alexander  the  Second  from  restoring  the  system  of  serf 
age,  with  all  its  concomitant  horrors.  It  will  not  be 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  167 

difficult  to  find  a  predominating  influence  among  the 
nobles  to  accomplish  that  object;  for  this  has  been  a 
long  and  severe  struggle  against  their  influence,  and 
owes  its  success  entirely  to  the  unremitting  labors  of 
the  sovereign.  The  next  autocrat  may  labor  with  equal 
earnestness  to  undo  this  good  work;  but  it  matters 
little,  save  in  name.  Despotism  and  freedom  are  anti 
podes,  and  can  not  be  brought  together.  It  may  be 
said  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  enslave  a  people  who 
had  once  even  partially  tasted  the  sweets  of  liberty,  but 
the  history  of  Russia  does  not  furnish  testimony  to  that 
effect. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  ukase  abolishing  serfdom, 
there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  the  more  re 
mote  districts  between  the  serfs  and  their  masters,  aris 
ing  chiefly  from  ignorance  on  the  one  side,  and  discon 
tent  and  disaffection  on  the  other.  Every  possible  ob 
stacle  has  been  thrown  in  the  way  of  a  fair  understand 
ing  of  its  terms.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  ex 
treme  ignorance  and  debased  condition  of  the  serfs  when 
I  mention  that  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  where  the 
influence  of  the  court  is  not  so  immediately  felt  by  the 
proprietors,  they  have  assumed  such  despotic  powers 
over  their  dependents,  and  exercise  to  this  day  such  an 
inexorable  command  over  their  lives,  liberties,  and  per 
sons,  that  the  poor  creatures  have  almost  learned  to  re 
gard  them  as  demigods.  When  a  nobleman  of  high  po 
sition,  owning  large  tracts  of  land  and  many  serfs,  visits 
his  estates,  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  the  en 
slaved  peasantry,  who  are  taught  to  believe  that  they 
exist  by  his  sufferance,  cast  themselves  prostrate  before 
him  and  kiss  the  ground,  in  the  Oriental  fashion,  as  he 
passes.  It  is  a  species  of  idolatry  highly  soothing  to 
men  in  official  position,  who  are  themselves  subjected  to 
almost  similar  debasement  before  their  imperial  master. 
In  some  instances,  especially  at  a  distance  from  the  cap 
ital,  the  acts  of  cruelty  perpetrated  by  these  cringing  and 
venal  nobles,  as  an  offset  to  the  arbitrary  rule  under 


168 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


which  they  themselves  exist,  are  enough  to  make  the 
blood  curdle.  The  knout,  a  terrible  instrument  made  of 
thick,  heavy  leather,  and  sometimes  loaded  with  leaden 
balls,  is  freely  used  to  punish  the  most  trifling  offense. 
Men  and  women,  indiscriminately,  are  whipped  at  the 
pleasure  of  their  masters,  the  only  real  restrictions  being 
that  if  they  die  within  twenty-four  hours  the  owners  are 
subjected  to  trial  for  murder;  but  even  that  is  nearly 
always  evaded.  The  present  emperor  has  done  much 
to  meliorate  these  abuses ;  but  his  orders  have  to  go  a 
great  way  and  through  a  great  many  unreliable  hands, 
and  it  is  very  difficult  to  carry  them  into  eifect  unless 
they  accord  with  the  views  of  a  venal  and  corrupt  bu 
reaucracy  and  an  unprincipled  corps  of  subordinates. 

In  some  of  the  districts  where  the  serfs  were  purpose 
ly  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  true  meaning  and  intention 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  169 

of  the  emperor's  ukase,  a  vague  idea  took  possession  of. 
their  minds  that  they  were  free,  and  that  the  proprie 
tors  had  no  right  to  compel  them  to  labor,  or  in  any  way 
curtail  their  liberty.  Many  of  them  left  the  estates  to 
which  they  were  attached,  and  sought  occupation  else 
where  on  their  own  account ;  others  refused  to  obey  the 
orders  given  them  by  their  seigneurs,  and  a  great  deal 
of  trouble  and  bloodshed  ensued.  In  some  instances  it 
became  necessary  to  call  in  the  military  forces  of  the  dis 
trict  to  subdue  the  mutinous  serfs  and  preserve  order. 
Protests  and  remonstrances  innumerable  were  address 
ed  to  the  emperor,  pointing  out  the  absolute  impractica 
bility  of  carrying  his  beneficent  scheme  into  effect,  based 
chiefly  on  the  ground  that  the  serfs  themselves  were 
opposed  to  emancipation.  This,  of  course,  occasioned  a 
great  deal  of  anxiety  and  trouble  at  head-quarters.  It 
was  rather  a  hard  state  of  things  that  the  very  peasants 
whom  he  was  striving  with  all  his  power  to  serve  should, 
by  their  insubordination — arising  sometimes,  it  was  true, 
from  ignorance,  but  too  often  from  willful  misconduct — 
do  even  more  than  their  masters  to  frustrate  his  benefi 
cent  designs.  These  troubles  went  on  from  time  to  time, 
till  eventually  a  deputation  of  three  hundred  serfs  made 
their  way  to  St.  Petersburg  and  solicited  an  audience  of 
the  emperor.  His  majesty,  probably  in  jio  very  amiable 
mood,  called  the  deputation  before  him,  and  demanded 
what  they  desired.  They  answered  that  they  wished 
an  explanation  in  regard  to  his  order  of  emancipation, 
which  many  of  their  people  did  not  understand.  Some 
thought  they  were  to  be  free  in  two  years,  but  many 
thought  they  were  free  from  the  date  of  the  order,  with 
the  simple  condition  that  they  were  to  pay  sixty  rubles 
to  their  masters  the  first  year,  and  thirty  the  second ; 
others,  again,  that  they  were  free  without  any  condition 
whatever.  All  they  wanted  to  know  was,  were  they 
free  or  not  ?  If  free,  why  were  they  forced  to  labor  for 
other  people ;  and  if  not  free,  was  there  any  prospect 
that  they  ever  would  be  ?  The  emperor  asked,  "  Can 

H 


170  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

you  read  ?"  Some  answered  that  they  could  read,  oth 
ers  that  they  could  not.  "  Have  you  read  my  order  ?" 
demanded  the  emperor  of  those  who  could  read.  "  Yes, 
your  majesty,"  they  replied,  "  we  have  read  your  order, 
but  we  don't  understand  it."  All  who  could  read  and 
had  read  the  order  were  removed  on  one  side.  "  Now," 
said  the  emperor,  turning  to  the  others,  "  has  this  order 
been  read  to  you  ?"  "  Yes,  your  majesty,"  they  re 
plied,  "  but  we  don't  understand  it."  "  Very  well,"  ob 
served  the  emperor ;  "  you  seem  to  be  an  intelligent  set 
of  men,  capable  of  learning,  and  we  shall  see  that  the 
order  is  made  intelligible.  We  had  supposed  it  was 
perfectly  clear  in  its  terms ;  but,  since  you  do  not  or 
will  not  comprehend  it,  all  you  who  can  read  must  be 
whipped."  The  literary  portion  of  the  deputation  were 
then  taken  off  by  a  file  of  soldiers,  treated  to  a  score  or 
two  of  lashes  each,  and  sent  back  to  their  people  to  ex 
plain  the  manifesto.  "  And  all  you,"  said  the  emperor, 
turning  to  the  unlearned  members  of  the  deputation, 
"  must  serve  three  years  as  soldiers,  during  which  time 
we  shall  see  that  you  are  taught  to  read."  They  were 
accordingly  taken  off,  and  furnished  with  a  general  out 
fit  of  uniforms,  and  are  now  serving  their  imperial  mas 
ter  in  a  military  capacity. 

Summary  justice,  that,  one  might  say.  It  seems,  at 
all  events,  a  pretty  prompt  method  of  explaining  official 
documents,  and  could  probably  be  adopted  beneficially 
in  other  countries. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KEFOKM     IN     RUSSIA. 

IN  my  last  chapter  I  took  occasion  to  acknowledge,  in 
terms  of  sincere  respect  and  admiration,  the  noble  efforts 
of  the  present  emperor,  Alexander  II.,  in  the  great  cause 
of  human  freedom.  He  has  already  gone  very  far  be 
yond  any  of  his  predecessors  in  the  extension  of  civil  lib- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  171 

erty  among  his  subjects,  but  a  great  crisis  has  now  ar 
rived  which  will  practically  test  his  sincerity.  What  he 
has  heretofore  done  will  be  worse  than  nothing  unless 
he  remains  true  to  himself  and  the  noble  cause  which  he 
has  espoused.  History  shows  us  that  the  sovereigns  of 
Russia  have  not  always  been  indifferent  to  public  opin 
ion  ;  but,  with  one  or  two  honorable  exceptions,  it  also 
shows  us  that  they  have  been  more  liberal  in  their  pro 
fessions  than  in  their  acts.  I  ventured  the  assertion 
that  there  are  insuperable  obstacles  to  a  very  high  order 
of  civilization  in  Russia.  Perhaps  this  is  too  gloomy  a 
view  of  the  case,  and,  considering  the  wonderful  natural 
capacities  of  the  people,  it  may  be  thought  rather  illiber 
al  for  an  American ;  but  I  must  confess  the  difficulties 
strike  me  as  very  serious.  The  severity  of  the  climate 
in  the  middle  and  northern  parts  of  the  empire,  the  vast 
proportion  of  desert  and  unavailable  lands,  and  the  di 
versity  of  fierce  and  ignorant  races  to  be  governed,  are 
certainly  obstacles  not  easily  overcome,  if  we  are  to  un 
derstand  by  civilization  a  predominance  of  moral  and 
intellectual  cultivation,  combined  with  material  prosperi 
ty  and  a  reasonable  share  of  liberty  and  happiness  among 
the  mass  of  the  people.  It  is  not  that  a  few  shall  be 
learned,  and  intelligent,  and  privileged  above  all  others, 
but  that  the  broad  fields  of  knowledge  shall  be  open  to 
all ;  that  education  shall  be  general,  and  the  right  of 
every  class  to  the  fruits  of  their  labor  and  the  enjoyment 
of  civil,  political,  and  religious  liberty  shall  be  recognized 
and  protected  by  the  laws  of  the  land.  In  this  view,  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  most  serious  obstacle  to  civiliza 
tion  in  Russia  is  presented  by  the  despotic  nature  of  the 
government,  and  the  difficulty,  under  the  existing  state 
of  things,  of  substituting  another  for  which  the  ignorant 
masses  are  prepared.  The  aristocracy  are  constantly 
clamoring  for  increased  powers  and  privileges,  but  it  is 
very  certain  they  have  no  affinity,  beyond  pecuniary  in 
terest,  with  the  middle  and  lower  classes,  and  that  their 
sole  aim  is  to  interpose  every  possible  obstacle  to  the 


172  THE  LAND  OF  TI1OR. 

progress  of  freedom.  The  emperor  is  now  practically 
the  great  conservative  power  who  stands  between  them 
and  their  dependents.  Any  increase  of  authority  to  the 
aristocracy  would  deprive  the  masses  of  the  limited  pro 
tection  which  they  now  enjoy.  Already  the  head  and 
front  of  Russian  despotism  are  the  camarilla  and  the 
bureaucracy,  who  practically  administer  the  affairs  of 
the  government.  So  long  as  they  hold  their  power, 
they  stand  as  a  barrier  to  all  progress  on  the  part  of  the 
people.  Thoroughly  aristocratic  and  tyrannical  in  all 
their  instincts,  they  have  every  thing  to  lose  and  noth 
ing  to  hope  from  a  constitutional  form  of  government. 
Why,  it  may  be  asked,  if  the  emperor  is  sincere  in  his 
professions  of  regard  for  freedom  and  civilization,  does 
he  not  make  use  of  the  aristocratic  powers  vested  in 
him,  and  cast  away  from  him  all  these  obstacles  to  the 
perfection  of  his  plans  ?  The  question  is  easier  asked 
than  answered.  We  are  but  little  enlightened  upon  the 
secret  councils  that  prevail  at  the  court  of  St.  Peters 
burg.  Whatever  is  done  there  is  only  known  by  its  re 
sults;  whatever  finds  its  way  into  the  public  press  is 
subject  to  a  rigid  censorship,  and  is  worth  little  so  far 
as  it  conveys  the  remotest  idea  of  facts.  What  you  see 
demonstrated  you  may  possibly  be  safe  in  believing,  but 
nothing  else.  It  may  be  easier  to  speak  of  removing 
obstacles  than  to  do  it ;  or  it  may  be  that  the  emperor 
has  no  fixed  policy  for  the  future,  and  therefore  hesitates 
to  encounter  difficulties  through  which  he  can  not  see 
his  way  without  any  adequate  or  well-defined  object. 

No  country  in  the  world  presents  such  an  anomalous 
condition  of  affairs  as  that  presented  by  Russia  at  this 
time.  The  preliminary  steps  have  been  taken  to  set  free 
over  twenty-three  millions  of  white  people,  so  accustom 
ed  to  a  condition  of  servitude,  so  generally  ignorant,  and 
so  incapable  of  thinking  or  acting  for  themselves,  that 
many,  if  not  most  of  them,  look  with  dread  upon  the 
movement  made  for  their  emancipation.  The  rights  re 
served  to  them  are  so  little  understood,  and,  indeed,  so 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  [  ,  ;j 

visionary  under  any  circumstances  —  for  two  rights  to 
the  same  land  would  be  as  impracticable  in  Russia  be 
tween  the  proprietors  and  the  peasant  as  in  our  country 
between  the  whites  and  the  Indians — that  they  can  see 
nothing  beyond  abandonment  to  increased  oppressions 
and  sufferings  in  the  proposed  movement.  Degraded 
as  they  are,  accustomed  from  infancy  to  obey  their  rulers, 
kept  in  a  condition  of  brutish  ignorance  in  order  that 
they  may  be  kept  in  subjection,  it  is  natural  they  should 
be  unable  to  realize  the  mysterious  benefits  about  to  be 
conferred  upon  them.  In  their  present  abject  position 
they  enjoy  a  certain  kind  of  protection  from  their  own 
ers,  who,  if  not  always  governed  by  motives  of  humani 
ty,  are  at  least  generally  susceptible  of  the  influences  of 
self-interest,  and  take  care  to  feed  and  clothe  them,  and 
provide  for  them  in  cases  of  sickness ;  and  although  this 
is  done  at  the  expense  of  their  labor,  it  relieves  them 
from  responsibilities  which  they  are  scarcely  prepared 
to  assume.  To  set  them  free  against  their  own  will,  or 
even  admitting  that,  in  common  with  all  mankind,  they 
must  have  some  general  appreciation  of  liberty — to  un 
dertake  so  radical  a  change  in  their  condition  and  future 
prospects  without  a  practical  definition  of  their  rights 
and  the  substitution  of  some  substantial  benefits  for  the 
withdrawal  of  responsibilities  now  borne  by  their  own 
ers,  is  an  anomalous  movement  attended  by  no  ordinary 
difficulties.  When  we  add  to  this  the  adverse  influ 
ences  of  tlie  landed  proprietors ;  their  determined  hos 
tility  to  the  abrogation  of  rights  and  privileges  which 
they  have  so  long  enjoyed ;  their  entire  conviction  that, 
without  direct  powers  of  coercion,  they  can  not  depend 
upon  the  labor  of  the  peasantry ;  that  the  natural  tend 
ency  of  free  labor  is  to  elevate  the  masses,  and  render 
them  less  subservient  to  the  will  of  the  aristocracy, 
then,  indeed,  it  may  well  be  conceived  that  the  natural 
difficulties  arising  from  the  ignorance  and  improvident 
habits  of  the  class  now  held  in  bondage  will  be  greatly 
augmented.  Believing,  however,  thnt  all  men  have  a 


1  7  I  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

right  to  their  freedom ;  that  such  a  right  is  the  gift 
of  the  Creator,  which  can  only  be  wrongfully  withheld 
from  them  by  any  earthly  power;  that  it  is  superior 
to  any  casual  influences  or  considerations  of  policy,  we 
can  not  but  admire  the  moral  courage  of  the  movement, 
and,  the  apparent  zeal  and  constancy  with  which  the 
emperor  has  labored,  in  the  face  of  every  obstacle,  to 
carry  it  into  effect.  But  the  question  now  arises,  is  it 
to  end  before  it  assumes  a  substantial  form?  Is  it  to 
be  a  mere  chimera  gotten  up  to  entertain  and  delude 
the  world  ?  If  Alexander  aspires  to  the  approval  of  all 
enlightened  people  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  empire, 
he  must  make  good  his  claim  to  it  by  a  determined  pol 
icy,  carrying  in  it  the  germ  of  civil  and  political  liberty. 
It  will  not  do  to  "  tickle  the  ears  of  the  groundlings" 
with  high-sounding  phrases  of  human  progress,  while  he 
fetters  their  limbs  with  manacles  of  iron.  There  can  be 
no  such  thing  as  a  graduated  despotism  —  a  stringent 
form  of  controlling  the  ignorant  and  a  mild  form  of  con 
trolling  the  intelligent  —  under  one  system  of  govern 
ment.  The  ways  to -knowledge,  to  honorable  distinc 
tion,  to  wealth  and  happiness,  must  be  open  to  all;  jus 
tice  must  be  administered  with  impartiality,  and  wher 
ever  there  is  taxation  there  must  be  representation. 
There  can  not  be  one  kind  of  justice  for  the  rich  and 
another  for  the  weak ;  constitutions  for  some  and  des 
potisms  for  others.  The  machine  must  be  complete  in 
all  its  parts,  and  work  with  a  common  accord,  or  it  will 
soon  become  deranged  and  break  to  pieces. 

Peter  the  Great  did  much  toward  the  physical  im 
provement  of  the  country.  He  built  up  cities,  created 
a  navy,  organized  an  army,  extended  his  dominions,  en 
couraged  education,  and  fostered  the  mechanical  arts  ; 
but  he  held  a  tight  rein  upon  his  subordinate  officers, 
and  suppressed  what  little  freedom  the  masses  enjoyed. 
He  was  ambitious,  and  liked  to  enjoy  a  reputation  for 
enlightenment,  but  no  regard  for  civilization  beyond  the 
power  it  t;;»vo  him  to  extend  his  dominions.  Tlis  sub- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  175 

jects  were  merely  his  instruments.  All  he  learned  in 
other  countries  was  to  sharpen  them  and  keep  them  in 
order,  that  he  might  use  them  to  the  best  advantage. 
His  ambition  was  not  of  the  highest  or  noblest  kind. 
The  page  he  has  left  in  history  is  interesting  and  in 
structive,  but  there  is  nothing  in  it  to  .warrant  the  be 
lief  that  it  will  be  selected  by  a  remote  posterity  to  be 
bound  up  among  the  lives  of  truly  great  and  good  men. 
Catharine  II.  extended  the  privileges  of  the  nobility, 
made  wars  upon  inoffensive  nations,  corrupted  the  mor 
als  of  her  people,  and  manifested  her  regard  for  the  serfs 
by  giving  large  numbers  of  them  away  to  her  paramours. 
The  Emperor  Alexander  I.  was  ambitious  of  distinction, 
as  the  most  cultivated  and  enlightened  sovereign  of  his 
time.  He  issued  liberal  edicts,  but  seldom  observed 
them.  He  wished  to  be  thought  friendly  to  liberty, 
without  sacrificing  any  of  his  despotic  privileges.  He 
gave  a  Constitution  to  the  Poles,  but  surrounded  it  by 
such  forms  and  influences  that  they  could  derive  no  ad 
vantage  from  it.  He  was  weak,  cunning,  and  conceited ; 
given  rather  to  the  delicate  evasions  of  diplomacy  than 
to  the  bold  straightforwardness  of  truth  and  honor.  The 
Emperor  Nicholas  was  utterly  selfish  and  despotic  in  all 
his  instincts.  He  professed  to  take  a  profound  interest 
in  the  cause  of  emancipation, but  it  was  purely  a  question 
of  policy  with  him.  He  cared  nothing  about  human 
rights.  His  dark  and  cruel  nature  wras  unsusceptible  of 
a  noble  or  generous  impulse.  While  he  preached  liberal 
generalities,  he  ruled  his  subjects  with  an  iron  rod.  He 
was  bigoted,  narrow-minded,  and  brutal.  The  sense  of 
right  was  not  in  his  nature.  His  ambition  was  to  be  an 
object  of  heathenish  idolatry  to  his  subjects — whether  as 
a  god  or  devil  it  mattered  nothing ;  fear  was  the  only 
incense  he  was  capable  of  craving ;  and  if  such  a  nature 
can  be  susceptible  of  enjoyment,  his  consisted  in  the 
abasement  of  his  fellow-creatures.  The  severity  of  his 
decrees,  the  rigor  of  his  administration,  and  the  attri 
butes  of  infallibility  which  he  cast  around  his  person, 


176  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

caused  him  to  be  regarded  with  awe,  but  not  with  love. 
He  could  brook  no  opposition  nor  survive  a  failure. 
Few  tears  were  shed  when  he  was  stricken  down  in  his 
pride.  He  left  but  a  small  legacy  of  good  deeds  to  en 
dear  him  in  the  memory  of  his  subjects.  The  haughty 
Czar  lies  dead  in  his  sepulchre — cold,  stern,  and  solitary 
as  he  lived. 

Nicholas  left  his  country  in  -a  distracted  and  unhappy 
condition  —  deeply  in  debt ;  commerce  deranged ;  the 
military  service  in  the  worst  possible  condition,  and 
nearly  every  branch  of  the  public  service  in  the  hands 
of  corrupt  and  incapable  men.  Well  might  he  say  to 
his  own  son  upon  his  dying  bed, "  Poor  Alexander,  my 
beloved  son,  where  lie  the  ills  of  unhappy  Russia  ?" 
Well  might  he  endeavor  to  make  atonement  for  his  er 
rors  by  recommending  at  his  last  hour  the  emancipation 
of  the  serfs. 

The  milder  spirit  of  Alexander  reigns  in  his  place. 
What  future,  then,  does  this  humane  young  sovereign 
propose  to  himself  and  his  country  ?  He  gives  personal 
liberty  to  the  serfs,  but  he  can  not  allow  them  to  become 
intelligent  and  responsible  beings.  If  they  do,  they  will 
no  longer  acknowledge  his  right  to  deprive  them  of  po 
litical  liberty.  He  removes  various  restrictions  from  the 
press,  and  the  moment  the  light  of  intelligence  strikes 
upon  the  minds  of  his  subjects,  they  call  for  a  constitution 
and  the  overthrow  of  a  despotic  camarilla.  He  under 
takes  to  restrain  a  powerful,  intelligent,  and  unscrupulous 
aristocracy,  who  by  instinct,  education,  and  self-interest 
hate  the  very  name  of  freedom,  and  they  turn  against 
him,  and  provoke  those  whom  he  would  serve  to  acts  of 
rebellion  against  his  authority.  We  can  scarcely  won 
der  that  this  is  the  case  when  we  consider  the  interests 
they  have  at  stake.  It  is  not  likely  that  they  will  quietly 
relinquish  their  accustomed  source  of  revenue.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  argument  is  advanced,  and  with  a  good 
share  of  reason,  that  the  emancipation  of  the  serfs  is  re 
ally  a  benefit  to  the  owners.  It  relieves  them  of  enor- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  177 

mous  responsibilities,  and,  by  encouraging  industry,  in 
creasing  the  intelligence,  self-reliance,  and  capacity  of  the 
serfs  themselves,  makes  their  labor  more  profitable  to 
the  landed  proprietors.  This  is  a  view  of  the  case,  how 
ever,  in  which  they  have  no  faith.  Believing  in  nothing 
free  except  the  free  use  of  authority  in  their  own  per 
sons,  they  can  not  be  brought  to  understand  the  advan 
tages  of  free  labor. 

But  these  considerations  do  not,  by  any  means,  com 
prise  all  the  difficulties  in  which  Russia  is  now  placed. 
The  dependencies  are  constantly  in  revolt.  Constant 
troubles  are  going  on  in  the  remote  districts.  Nine  mill 
ions  of  the  population  —  the  old  believers  who  do  not 
profess  the  prevailing  religion — have  their  secret  confer 
ences,  their  plans  and  purposes,  all  antagonistical  to  the 
existing  form  of  government.  A  reign  of  terror  exists 
in  Poland.  The  Finns  detest  their  rulers,  and  are  only 
kept  in  a  partial  state  of  quietude  by  a  total  subversion 
of  the  liberties  guaranteed  to  them  under  the  Constitu 
tion.  The  municipal  franchises  existing  in  the  various 
provinces  of  Russia  are  a  mere  mockery ;  mayors  and 
corporate  officers  are  imprisoned  or  banished  without 
cause  or  process  of  law.  The  councils  of  the  govern 
ment  are  secret,  and  nobody  can  conjecture  how  long 
he  may  be  permitted  to  enjoy  his  personal  liberty.  The 
exchequer  is  annually  deficient  from  thirty  to  forty  mill 
ions  of  rubles.  Public  credit  is  growing  worse  and 
worse  every  day,  and  the  whole  country  is  falling  into  a 
condition  of  bankruptcy.  It  is  evident,  even  to  the  most 
superficial  observer,  that  a  great  crisis  is  at  hand.  The 
Poles  are  united  in  their  resistance  to  the  despotic  sway 
of  the  government.  Witness  the  late  bloody  massacres 
in  Warsaw  (1862),  against  which  the  whole  civilized 
world  cries  aloud  in  horror !  They  will  not  now  be  sat 
isfied  with  empty  professions  and  still  emptier  conces 
sions.  They  demand  a  Constitution — not  a  mere  paper 
Constitution,  like  that  of  1815,  made  to  be  violated  by 
every  lackey  of  the  government  sent  to  coerce  them. 
H2 


178  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

They  demand  civil,  political,  and  religious  liberty.  Can 
the  emperor  grant  it  to  a  dependency,  and  withhold  it 
from  the  body  of  his  people  ? 

This  has  been  tried  for  nearly  half  a  century  —  ever 
since  1815  —  and  what  has  it  resulted  in?  Are  the 
Poles  any  better  satisfied  now  than  they  were  then? 
Are  they  benefited  and  enlightened  by  being  cut  down 
and  hacked  to  pieces  by  a  set  of  drunken  and  blood 
thirsty  Cossacks  in  the  name  of  the  great  Russian  gov 
ernment  ? 

The  Emperor  Alexander  must  adopt  some  other  sys 
tem.  He  will  never  reduce  the  Poles  to  submission  in 
that  way.  Overpowered  and  cut  to  pieces  they  may  be, 
but  not  conquered.  They  belong  to  the  unconquerable 
races  of  mankind.  The  blood  that  heroes,  and  heroines, 
and  martyrs  are  made  of  runs  in  the  veins  of  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  of  the  Polish  nation.  If  they  can  not 
govern  themselves,  it  is  equally  certain  they  can  not  be 
governed  by  any  despotic  power.  It  is  not  by  slaugh 
tering  defenseless  women  and  children ;  not  by  forcing 
churches  to  be  opened  ;  not  by  sending  savage  and 
heartless  minions  to  crush  the  people  down  in  the  dust, 
that  Alexander  II.  is  to  win  a  reputation  for  humanity 
and  liberality.  It  is  not  by  issuing  edicts  of  emancipa 
tion  to  his  serfs,  and  then,  at  the  instigation  of  a  cruel 
and  ruthless  camarilla,  deluging  the  country  with  their 
blood  to  keep  them  quiet,  that  he  is  going  to  do  it.  It 
is  not  by  extending  privileges  to  the  press  and  the  uni 
versities,  and  then,  by  a  sudden  and  violent  suppression 
of  all  liberty,  undertake  to  arrest  some  abuses,  that  he 
is  likely  to  achieve  it.  It  is  not  by  countenancing  venal 
and  unscrupulous  writers  to  sustain  every  outrage  that 
his  nobles  may  choose  to  perpetrate,  and  banishing  all 
who  respectfully  remonstrate  against  their  misconduct, 
that  he  is  to  attain  the  highest  eminence  as  a  civilized 
sovereign.  It  is  not  by  keeping  up  a  system  of  foreign 
surveillance,  by  which  Russians  in  other  countries  are 
watched  and  their  lives  threatened,  that  these  glorious 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  179 

results  arc  to  be  achieved.  His  secret  police  may  (on 
their  own  responsibility  or  his,  it  matters  little  to  the 
victims  which)  assassinate  M.  Herzain,  the  editor  of  the 
Kolokol,  in  London ;  but  if  they  do,  a  thousand  Her- 
zains  will  rise  in  his  place.  No ;  it  is  by  no  such  means 
as  these  that  the  name  of  Alexander  II.  is  to  be  trans 
mitted  to  posterity  as  the  most  liberal  and  enlightened 
sovereign  of  the  age. 

If  he  would  regenerate  Russia — if  he  would  avert  the 
dismemberment  of  a  great  empire  —  if  he  would  accom 
plish  the  noble  mission  upon  which  the  world  gives  him 
the  credit  of  having  started,  he  must  banish  from  his 
presence  all  evil  councils ;  he  must  be  true  to  himself 
and  the  great  cause  of  humanity ;  he  must  give  all  his 
people,  and  all  his  dependencies,  a  liberal  and  equitable 
constitution,  which  will  protect  them  from  the  despotic 
sway  of  military  governors  and  the  aristocracy.  He 
must  establish  a  constitutional  government,  complete  in 
all  its  parts ;  abolish  secret  tribunals,  and  open  the  ave 
nues  of  knowledge  and  justice  to  all.  He  must  see  that 
the  laws  are  fairly  and  equitably  administered.  He  must 
enlarge  the  liberty  of  the  press,  and  proscribe  no  man 
for  his  opinions,  unless  in  cases  of  treason,  and  under  pe 
culiar  circumstances  of  civil  commotion  endangering  the 
public  safety.  He  must  abolish  the  censorship  of  the 
colleges,  universities,  and  places  of  public  amusement, 
and  leave  them  to  be  regulated  by  the  municipal  author 
ities.  In  short,  he  must  cease  to  be  a  despot  and  be 
come  a  constitutional  monarch.  Will  he  do  it  ?  Can 
he  do  it  ?  Does  he  possess  the  moral  courage  to  do  it  ? 
Time  alone  can  answer  these  questions.  I  sincerely  be 
lieve  the  emperor  is  a  good  man,  actuated  by  the  best 
motives,  but  not  always  governed  by  the  wisest  counsels. 
I  believe  he  now  has  an  opportunity  of  earning  a  name 
that  enlightened  men  will  bless  through  all  time  to  come. 
So  far,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  has  not  pursued  the 
most  consistent  course,  but  it  is  not  yet  too  late  to  re 
trieve  his  errors.  One  thing  is  certain — there  can  be  no 


180  THE  LAttD  OF  THOli. 

half -way  measures  of  reform  in  Russia.  The  spirit  of 
the  age — the  general  increase  of  intelligence — requires  a 
radical  change.  He  can  not  be  autocrat  and  king  at  the 
same  time.  He  must  be  one  or  the  other.  If  he  tries 
both,  the  empire  will  be  dismembered  before  many  years. 
Whatever  may  be  the  extent  and  variety  of  those  hid 
den  restraints,  which  doubtless  exist,  and  must,  from  the 
very  nature  of  the  government,  be  exempt  from  the 
scrutiny  of  a  stranger  as  well  as  from  popular  discus 
sion,  it  is  beyond  question  that  in  the  principal  cities,  at 
least,  very  little  is  visible  in  that  respect  which  would 
be  considered  objectionable  in  the  municipal  regulations 
of  any  city  in  the  United  States.  From  this,  of  course, 
must  be  excepted  the  presence  in  every  public  place  and 
thoroughfare  of  vast  numbers  of  soldiers  and  officers ; 
but  that  is  a  feature  which  St.  Petersburg  shares  in  com 
mon  with  all  the  cities  of  Europe,  and  the  traveler  can 
scarcely  regard  it  as  an  indication  of  the  depressed  con 
dition  of  Russian  civilization.  I  think  I  have  seen  in 
the  streets  of  Pesth,  Vienna,  Berlin,  and  Frankfort  quite 
as  many  soldiers,  according  to  the  population,  as  in  St. 
Petersburg.  I  would  say  something  about  Paris,  but  I 
expect  to  go  there  after  a  while,  and  would  dislike  very 
much  to  be  placed  in  the  position  of  Mr.  Dick  Swiveller, 
who  was  blockaded  at  his  lodgings,  and  never  could  go 
out  without  calculating  which  of  the  public  ways  was 
still  left  open.  But  if  there  be  officers  enough  of  all 
kinds  in  Paris  to  keep  the  public  peace  and  suppress  ob 
jectionable  correspondence  and  pamphlets  against  mem 
bers  of  the  reigning  family,  there  are  also  enough  in  Ly 
ons  and  Marseilles,  as  well  as  other  cities  of  France,  to 
prove  that  civilization  and  soldiers,  however  inimical  to 
each  other,  may,  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  be  re 
duced  to  a  partnership.  The  question  that  troubles  me 
most  is  to  determine  precisely  what  is  the  highest  con 
dition  of  civilization.  It  can  not  be  to  enjoy  fine  palaces 
and  have  a  great  many  soldiers,  for  Marco  Polo  tells  us 
that  the  great  Kubln,  Khan  had  palaces  of  gold  and  pro- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  lyj 

cious  stones  of  incredible  extent  and  most  sumptuous 
magnificence,  such  as  the  world  has  never  seen  from  that 
day  to  this,  and  could  number  his  troops  by  millions ; 
yet  nobody  will  undertake  to  say  that  the  Tartars  of  the 
tenth  century  were  in  advance  of  the  French  of  the  nine 
teenth  century.  It  can  not  consist  in  the  enjoyment  of 
freedom,  and  the  general  dissemination  of  education  and 
intelligence  among  the  people ;  for  where  will  you  find 
a  freer  or  more  intelligent  people  than  those  of  the 
United  States,  who  are  rated  by  the  Parisians  as  little 
better  than  savages?  I  think  civilization  must  consist 
in  the  perfection  of  cookery,  and  a  high  order  of  tailoring 
and  millinery.  If  the  French  excel  in  the  manufacture 
of  cannons  and  iron-cased  ships,  and  devote  a  good  deal 
of  attention  to  surgery,  it  is  a  necessity  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  presence  of  Great  Britain  and  their  natural 
propensity  for  strong  governments ;  but  I  am  disposed 
to  believe  that  their  genius  lies  in  gastronomy  and  tail 
oring,  and  in  the  construction  of  hats  and  bonnets. 
Since  the  latter  articles  cover  the  heads  of  the  best 
classes  of  mankind,  they  must  be  the  climax  or  crown 
ing  feature  of  all  human  intelligence.  I  am  greatly  puz 
zled  by  the  various  opinions  on  this  subject  entertained 
by  the  most  cultivated  people  of  Europe.  The  English 
seem  to  think  the  perfection  of  civilization  consists  in 
preaching  against  slavery  and  then  trying  to  perpetuate 
it,  in  order  to  get  hold  of  some  cotton ;  the  French  in 
suppressing  family  pamphlets,  annulling  the  sacred  con 
tract  of  marriage,  building  iron-cased  ships,  cooking  frogs, 
snails,  and  cats,  making  fancy  coats,  and  topping  off 
the  human  head  with  elegant  hats  and  bonnets ;  the  Aus- 
trians  in  the  manufacture  of  shin-plasters  for  their  sol 
diers,  .and  the  making  and  breaking  of  constitutions  for 
ungovernable  dependencies ;  the  Prussians  in  the  blas 
phemous  necromancy  of  receiving  crowns  for  their  kings 
direct  from  God ;  and  all  in  some  shape  or  other  pro 
fessing  devotion  to  human  liberty,  and  doing  every  thing 
in  their  power  to  subvert  it.  Truly  it  is  enough  to  puz- 


182  THE  LAND  OF  THUK. 

zle  one  who  seeks  for  truth  amid  the  prevailing  fogs  of 
error  that  seem  to  have  descended  upon  mankind.  If 
there  be  any  degree  in  honesty,  I  really  think  the  Em 
peror  of  Russia  is  entitled  to  the  palm  of  being  the  most 
sincere  in  his  profession  of  regard  for  the  advancement 
of  human  freedom.  He  imposes  no  restrictions  upon  his 
own  subjects  which  he  does  not  consider  necessary  for 
the  maintenance  of  his  despotic  power,  and,  while  strug 
gling  against  the  influence  of  a  wealthy,  intelligent,  and 
refractory  aristocracy  to  extend  the  boon  of  personal 
liberty  to  twenty-three  millions  of  serfs,  is  the  only  sov 
ereign  who  boldly  and  openly  manifests  a  generous 
sympathy  for  the  cause  of  freedom  in  the  United  States. 
While  I  can  see  nothing  to  admire  in  any  form  of  des 
potism,  or  any  thing  in  common  between  us  and  the 
government  of  Russia  beyond  the  common  bond  of  hu 
manity  that  should  connect  the  whole  human  race,  I  am 
forced  to  admit,  with  all  my  hatred  of  despotic  institu 
tions,  that  they  are  not  always  a  sure  indication  of  an  il 
liberal  and  insincere  spirit  on  the  part  of  the  rulers,  or 
of  a  base,  sordid,  and  groveling  spirit  on  that  of  the  sub 
jects.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret,  calculated  to  shake  our 
faith  in  the  beneficial  effects  of  a  high  order  of  intelli 
gence  among  men,  that  the  course  of  England  and 
France,  since  the  commencement  of  our  difficulties,  pre 
sents  a  very  unfavorable  contrast  with  that  of  Russia  ; 
for,  although  self-interest  has  restrained  them  from  act 
ual  participation  in  the  overthrow  of  our  government, 
they  have  given  its  enemies  the  full  benefit  of  their  sym 
pathy. 

You  will  smile,  perhaps,  at  the  oddity  of  the  idea,  con 
sidering  the  roughness  of  our  country,  the  scarcity  of 
palaces,  fine  equipages,  liveried  servants  with  white  kid 
gloves  and  cocked  iiats,  and  the  absence  of  a  perfect  rail 
road  system  in  our  remote  quarter  of  the  world ;  but  I 
am  perfectly  in  earnest  in  saying  that,  if  asked  to  lay  my 
hand  upon  my  heart  and  declare,  in  all  sincerity,  what 
country  upon  earth  I  do  consider  the  most  highly  favored 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  183 

and  enlightened  at  the  present  stage  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  I  should  not  hesitate  one  moment  to  name  the 
State  of  California.  The  idea  has  been  growing  in  my 
head  ever  since  I  came  to  Europe.  It  is  based  upon  con 
siderations  which  are  susceptible  of  the  clearest  demon 
stration.  For  example,  assuming  our  population  to  be 
five  'hundred  thousand,  where  will  you  find  the  same 
number  of  educated,  enterprising,  and  intelligent  men  in 
any  one  district  or  state  of  Europe,  not  excepting  any 
given  part  of  France  or  England  ?  If  we  have  fewer 
learned  and  scientific  men  than  older  countries  can  boast, 
we  have  a  greater  number  above  mediocrity,  according 
to  our  population,  and  a  vastly  higher  average  of  general 
intelligence.  If  our  laws  are  too  often  loosely  adminis 
tered,  it  is  at  least  in  the  power  of  the  people  to  remedy 
the  difficulty  by  substituting  good  and  faithful  for  cor 
rupt  and  inefficient  officers ;  and  if  any  law  should  prove 
burdensome,  it  can  be  repealed  at  the  will  of  the  majori 
ty.  So  far  as  injustice  is  concerned,  I  have  seen  more 
of  it  in  Europe,  where  individual  rights  were  concerned, 
than  I  ever  saw  in  California.  We  have  a  public  senti 
ment  in  favor  of  the  right  which  can  not  be  shaken  by 
corrupt,  factious,  and  transitory  influences.  If  our  gov 
ernors  and  public  men  are  not  furnished  with  gilded  pal 
aces  and  fine  equipages,  the  labor  of  the  toiling  poor  is 
not  taxed  to  supply  them.  If  we  are  backward  in  the 
higher  branches  of  literature  and  the  fine  arts,  there  is 
scarcely  a  mechanic  or  a  miner  in  the  state  who  does  not 
know  more  of  the  history  of  his  own  country,  possess  a 
mor'e  accurate  knowledge  of  its  institutions,  read  more 
of  the  current  intelligence  of  the  day  from  all  other  coun 
tries — who,  in  short,  is  not  better  versed  in  every  branch 
of  practical  knowledge  applicable  to  the  ordinary  pur 
poses  of  life,  than  the  average  of  the  most  intelligent 
classes  in  Great  Britain  or  France.  If  we  are  deficient 
in  the  dandyism  of  dress  and  the  puppyism  of  manners, 
which  so  generally  pass  for  refinement  and  politeness  on 
the  Continent  of  Europe,  there  is  scarcely  a  boor  among 


184  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

us  who  would  not  be  hooted  out  of  the  lowest  society 
for  the  indifference,  rudeness,  and  disrespect  toward 
women,  which  form  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception 
among  the  polished  nations  of  Europe.  I  have  seen 
more  absolute  selfishness,  coarseness,  and  innate  vulgar 
ity  under  the  guise  of  elegant  manners,  since  my  arrival 
on  this  side  of  the  water,  than  I  ever  saw  in  California 
under  any  guise  whatever.  If  that  be  civilization,  I  do 
not  want  to  see  it  prevail  in  our  country.  It  would  be 
difficult,  indeed,  to  say  in  what  respect  a  comparison 
would  not  show  a  heavy  balance  in  our  favor.  Wealth 
is  more  equally  diffused,  fortune  is  more  accessible  to  all, 
the  honors  and  emoluments  of  political  position  are  with 
in  the  reach  of  every  man,  the  press  is  unrestrained  in  its 
freedom  save  in  so  far  as  individual  rights  and  the  well- 
being  of  society  may  be  concerned  ;  no  class  is  oppressed 
by  inequitable  burdens,  and  none  endowed  with  exclu 
sive  privileges ;  a  rich  soil,  a  prolific  mineral  region,  a 
climate  unequaled  for  its  salubrity,  and  a  promising  fu 
ture,  afford  profitable  occupation,  health,  and  happiness 
to  the  whole  community;  none  need  suffer  unless  from 
their  own  misconduct,  or  the  visitation  of  the  Supreme 
Power  by  which  all  are  ruled ;  and  none  need  despond 
who  possess  energy  of  character  and  the  capacity  to  ap 
preciate  the  many  blessings  bestowed  upon  them.  What 
nation  in  Europe  possesses  a  future  at  all,  much  less  such 
a  future  as  that  which  lies  before  us  ?  Russia  may  im 
prove  and  prosper  to  a  certain  extent ;  beyond  that,  no 
human  eye  can  discern  the  glimmerings  of  a  higher  and 
more  enlarged  civilization.  England  has  reached  her 
culminating  point.  The  States  of  Germany — what  fu 
ture  have  they  ?  Alas !  the  past  and  the  present  must 
answer.  France — where  is  her  future?  Another  revo 
lution — another  emperor — another  and  another  bloody 
history  of  revolutions,  barricades,  kings,  emperors,  and 
demagogues,  reaching,  so  far  as  human  eye  can  pene 
trate,  through  the  dim  vistas  of  all  time  to  come.  If,  on 
the  one  side,  we  see  the  type  of  human  perfection  and 


THE  LAND  UF  THOK.  185 

the  maturity  of  all  worldly  knowledge,  and  if  we  see  on 
the  other  only  the  presumption  that  springs  from  igno 
rance,  want  of  cultivation,  or  want  of  reverence  for  the 
example  of  others,  then  I  earnestly  pray  that  we  may 
forever  remain  in  our  present  benighted  condition,  or, 
if  we  advance  at  all,  that  it  may  not  be  in  the  direction 
taken  by  any  of  the  governments  of  Europe.  As  our 
present  is  unlike  theirs,  so  I  trust  may  be  our  future. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A   BOND    OF    SYMPATHY. 

THE  Russians,  doubtless,  have  a  natural  appetite  for 
tobacco,  in  common  with  all  races  of  mankind,  whether 
Digger  Indians,  Caffirs,  Hindoos,  Persians,  Turks,  Amer 
icans,  or  Dutchmen ;  for  I  never  yet  have  met  with  a 
people  who  did  not  take  to  the  glorious  weed,  in  some 
shape  or  other,  as  naturally  as  a  babe  to  its  mother's 
breast.  Vodka^  or  native  brandy,  is  their  favorite  bev 
erage,  when  they  can  get  it.  In  that  respect,  too,  they 
share  a  very  common  attribute  of  humanity — a  passion 
for  strong  drinks.  Nevertheless,  although  the  love  of 
intoxicating  liquors  is  pretty  general  in  Russia,  the  habit 
of  smoking  which  usually  accompanies  it  is  not  so  com 
mon  as  in  the  more  southern  parts  of  Europe.  A  reason 
for  this  may  be  found  in  the  prohibitions  established  by 
the  government  against  the  general  use  of  tobacco.  It 
is  true,  any  person  who  pleases  may  enjoy  this  luxury, 
but  by  a  rigid  ukase  of  the  emperor  the  restrictions 
amount  very  nearly  to  an  absolute  prohibition,  so  far  as 
the  common  people  are  concerned.  Smoking  is  prohib 
ited  in  the  streets  of  every  town  and  city  throughout 
the  empire,  and  any  infraction  of  the  law  in  this  respect, 
whether  by  a  native  or  foreigner,  is  visited  by  a  heavy 
penalty.  I  hear  of  several  instances  in  St.  Petersburg 
and  Moscow  of  arrests  by  the  police  for  violations  of  the 
imperial  decree.  The  reason  given  by  the  Russians 


1NO  THE  LAND  OF  THOli 

themselves  for  this  despotic  regulation  is,  that  the  cities 
being  built  mostly  of  wood,  extensive  and  disastrous 
conflagrations  have  arisen  from  carelessness  in  street- 
smoking.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  risk  is  lessened 
in  this  way,  for  the  prohibition  does  not  extend  to  smok 
ing  within  doors.  A  carpenter  may  indulge  his  propens 
ity  for  cigars  over  a  pile  of  shavings,  provided  it  be  in 
his  workshop,  but  he  must  not  carry  a  lighted  cigar  in 
his  mouth  on  any  of  the  public  thoroughfares.  The  true 
reason  perhaps  is,  that  the  emperor  considers  it  a  useless 
and  expensive  habit,  and  thus  makes  use  of  his  imperial 
power  to  discountenance  it,  as  far  as  practicable,  among 
his  subjects.  They  may  drink  vodka  if  they  please,  be 
cause  that  only  burns  their  insides  out ;  but  they  must 
not  smoke  cigars,  as  a  general  rule,  because  that  impairs 
their  moral  perceptions.  Hence  cigars  are  not  permitted 
to  be  sold  at  any  of  the  tobacco-shops  in  packages  of  less 
than  ten.  Few  of  the  lower  classes  ever  save  up  money 
enough  to  buy  ten  cigars  at  a  time,  so  that  if  they  desire 
to  smoke  they  must  go  to  a  cheap  groggery  and  indulge 
in  cheap  cigaritos.  Owing  to  the  want  of  opportunity, 
therefore,  smoking  is  not  a  national  characteristic,  as  in 
Germany  and  the  United  States. 

This,  I  must  confess,  gave  me  a  rather  gloomy  impres 
sion  of  Russia,  and  accounted  in  some  measure  for  the 
grave  and  uncongenial  aspect  of  the  people.  One  always 
likes  to  find  some  bond  of  sympathy  between  himself 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  through  which  he 
travels.  I  remember  reading  somewhere  of  a  Scotch 
man  who  had  occasion  to  visit  the  United  States  on 
business  connected  with  an  establishment  in  Glasgow. 
He  was  disgusted  with  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  people ;  had  no  faith  in  their  capacity  for  business ; 
found  nothing  to  approve  ;  considered  them  vulgar,  im 
pertinent,  irresponsible,  and  irreligious  ;  and  finally  was 
about  to  take  his  departure  with  these  unfavorable  views, 
when  he  discovered,  from  some  practical  experience,  that 
tho.y  possessed,  in  addition  to  all  these  traits,  wonderful 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  187 

shrewdness  in  the  art  of  swindling.  New  dodges  that 
he  had  never  dreamt  of  turned  up  in  the  line  of  debits 
and  credits ;  he  was  interested — delighted !  A  familiar 
chord  was  touched.  He  retracted  all  he  had  said ; 
formed  the  most  exalted  opinion  of  the  people ;  reluct 
antly  returned  to  Glasgow,  and  there  made  a  fortune  in 
the  course  of  a  few  years !  It  is  said  that  he  now  swears 
by  the  eternal  Yankee  nation — the  only  oath  he  was  ever 
known  to  make  use  of — and  expresses  a  desire  to  settle 
in  the  United  States,  if  he  can  find  a  suitable  part  of  the 
country  abounding  in  fogs,  rain,  sleet,  snow,  and  wind. 

Somewhat  akin  to  this  is  the  affection  with  which  a 
traveler  in  a  foreign  land  regards  every  mountain,  tree, 
or  flower  that  reminds  him  of  his  own  country.  The 
most  pleasant  parts  of  my  experiences  of  mountain  scen 
ery  are  those  that  most  resemble  similar  experiences  at 
home.  Some  suggestion  or  hint  of  a  familiar  scene  has 
often  caused  me  to  enjoy  what  would  otherwise  perhaps 
have  attracted  no  particular  attention.  I  remember 
once,  while  traveling  in  Brazil,  near  the  Falls  of  Tejuca, 
some  very  pleasant  scenes  of  early  life  came  suddenly  to 
mind,  without  any  thing  that  I  could  perceive  at  the 
moment  to  give  rise  to  such  a  train  of  thought.  The 
aspect  of  the  country  was  different  from  any  I  had  ever 
seen  before ;  and  it  was  not  till  I  discovered  a  bunch  of 
violets  close  by  my  feet  that  I  became  aware  that  it  was 
a  familiar  perfume  which  had  so  mysteriously  carried  me 
back  to  by-gone  days.  On  another  occasion,  when  at 
sea  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  after  many  dreary  months  of 
absence  from  home,  I  one  day  accidentally  found  in  the 
pocket  of  an  old  coat  a  paper  of  fine-cut  chewing  tobac 
co.  With  what  delight  I  grasped  the  glittering  treasure 
and  applied  it  to  my  nose  can  only  be  conceived  by  a 
true  lover  of  the  weed — I  speak  not  of  your  voracious 
chewers,  who  masticate  this  delectable  narcotic  as  if  it 
were  food  for  the  stomach  instead  of  nutriment  for  the 
soul,  but  of  the  genuine  devotee,  who  can  appreciate  the 
divinest  essence,  the  rarest  delicacies  of  tone  and  touch, 


188  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

the  most  exquisite  shades  of  sentiment  in  this  wondrous 
weed.  What  a  luxury,  after  months  of  dreary  longing 
— what  an  oasis  in  the  desert  of  life !  No  attar  of  roses 
could  be  sweeter  than  that  paper  of  fine-cut.  I  played 
with  it — just  titillating  the  nostrils — for  hours  before  I 
dared  to  descend  to  the  coarse  process  of  chewing.  And 
then — ah  heavens !  can  mortal  mixture  ever  equal  that 
first  chew  again !  How  bright  and  beautiful  the  world 
looked !  What  happy  remembrances  I  reveled  in  all  that 
day,  of  serenades,  and  oyster-suppers,  and  pretty  girls, 
and  a  thousand  other  fascinations  of  early  youth,  all  of 
which  grew  out  of  a  paper  of  fine-cut. 

My  experiences  in  Sweden  were  even  more  delightful 
in  this  respect  than  in  Russia.  At  Stockholm  I  saw 
drunken  men  every  day,  and  at  Gottenburg  it  wras  the 
prevailing  trait.  The  trouble  was  to  see  a  man  who 
was  not  laboring  under  a  pressure  of  bricks  in  his  hat. 
On  one  occasion  I  must  have  seen  in  the  course  of  a  sin 
gle  afternoon  several  hundred  reeling  home  in  the  high 
est  possible  condition  of  ecstasy — either  that,  or  the 
streets  were  so  badly  paved,  and  the  roads  so  devious 
and  undulating,  that  they  made  people  stagger  to  keep 
straight.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  fair,  and  may  per 
haps  have  been  an  exception  to  the  general  rule.  One 
thing  is  certain — it  looked  very  natural,  and  made  me 
cotton  wonderfully  to  these  good  people.  There  was 
something  really  homelike  in  a  reeling,  staggering  crowd 
— their  shouts  and  uproarious  songs,  their  boozy  faces 
and  tobacco-stained  mouths.  Every  body  seemed  to  be 
on  a  regular  "  bender."  The  only  point  of  difference 
between  the  Swedish  and  the  California  "bender"  was 
in  the  way  the  boys  hugged  and  kissed  the  peasant-girls ; 
but  even  in  this  respect  a  similitude  may  sometimes  be 
found  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian  Reservations,  where 
I  have  seen  Digger  damsels  treated  quite  as  affectionate 
ly.  However,  it  was  all  right,  so  long  as  both  parties 
were  willing.  I  rather  liked  the  Gottenburg  custom 
myself — as  a  sped  Ml  or,  of  course. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  189 

My  last  and  perhaps  most  agreeable  experience  con 
nected  with  the  pleasures  of  sympathy  occurred  in  Nor 
way,  on  the  road  from  Christiania  to  Trondjhem.  With 
profound  humiliation  I  make  the  confession  that  I  have 
never  yet  been  able  to  eradicate  a  natural  passion  for 
tobacco.  Once,  after  reading  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cox's  terrific 
book  on  the  Horrors  of  Tobacco,  in  which  it  was  con 
clusively  shown  that  a  single  drop  of  the  oil  of  this  nox 
ious  weed  put  upon  a  cat's  tongue  killed  the  cat,  I  re 
solved  to  master  this  vicious  propensity  for  poison.  For 
six  months  I  neither  smoked,  snuffed,  nor  chewed.  But 
it  came  back  somehow.  Care,  I  think,  revived  it,  and 
every  body  knows  that  care,  as  well  as  tobacco,  killed  a 
cat.  A  man  might  as  well  be  killed  one  way  as  another. 
We  must  all  eat  our  peck  of  dirt,  and  in  some  shape  or 
other  swallow  our  peck  of  poison.  One  learned  gentle 
man  proves  that  tobacco  is  poison ;  another,  that  coffee 
and  tea  are  equally  fatal ;  another,  that  meat  is  no  better, 
and  so  on ;  our  food  and  drink  are  pretty  much  com 
posed  of  poison,  so  that  we  are  constantly  killing  our 
selves,  and  the  result  is,  we  die  at  last.  Still,  it  is  mar 
velous  how  long  some  people  survive  all  these  deadly 
stimulants ;  how  fat  and  hearty  the  Germans  are  in  spite 
of  their  meerschaums ;  how  wonderfully  the  French  sur 
vive  their  strong  coffee ;  how  the  Russians  deluge  their 
stomachs  with  hot  tea  and  yet  still  live;  how  the  En 
glish  get  over  their  porter  and  brown  stout;  and  how 
long  it  takes  the  various  poisons  to  which  the  various 
nations  of  the  earth  are  addicted  to  produce  any  sensible 
diminution  in  the  population.  Sometimes  I  am  inclined 
to  think  people  would  die  if  they  never  ate  a  particle  of 
any  thing — either  food  or  poison.  It  seems  to  be  one 
of  those  debts  that  we  incur  on  coming  into  the  world, 
and  can  only  discharge  by  going  out  of  it. 

All  of  which  leads  you  gradually  to  the  main  point — 
my  experience  in  Norway.  First,  however,  I  must  tell 
you  that  on  my  arrival  in  Europe,  not  being  able  to  find 
.1  plug  of  genuine  Cavendish,  T  was  forced  to  satisfy  the 


190  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

cravings  of  this  morbid  appetite  by  nibbling  bad  cigars. 
But  a  new  difficulty  soon  became  manifest — there  was 
not  a  spot  in  all  Germany  where  it  was  possible  to  get 
rid  of  a  quid  without  attracting  undue  attention.  No 
man  likes  to  be  stared  at  as  an  outlaw  against  the  rec 
ognized  decencies  of  life.  One  may  smoke  cigars  under 
a  lady's  nose,  dress  like  a  popinjay,  or  kiss  his  bearded 
friend  in  most  Continental  cities,  but  he  must  not  chew 
tobacco,  because  it  is  considered  a  barbarous  and  filthy 
habit.  He  may  guzzle  beer,  take  snuff,  and  wear  dirty 
shirts,  but  if  he  would  avoid  reproach  as  an  unclean  ani 
mal  he  must  abandon  his  quids.  Now,  as  a  general  rule, 
I  dislike  to  violate  public  sentiment,  or  inconvenience 
people  with  whom  I  associate.  If  they  are  nonsensical 
and  inconsistent  in  their  notions,  I  agree  with  them  for 
the  sake  of  harmony,  if  not  for  politeness.  Nothing 
pleases  me  better  than  to  annoy  an  Englishman  by  doing 
every  thing  that  he  most  dislikes,  because  he  makes  it  a 
point  to  be  disagreeable  and  unmannerly ;  carries  his 
nationality  wherever  he  goes,  and  it  does  me  good  to 
furnish  him  with  material  for  criticism.  Out  of  pure 
good  nature,  I  meet  him  half  way ;  chew  and  spit  that 
he  may  grumble,  and  put  my  legs  over  the  back  of  the 
nearest  chair  to  see  him  enjoy  a  good  hearty  fit  of  dis 
gust,  and  talk  loud  that  he  may  find  material  for  ill- 
natured  reflections  on  American  manners — all  of  which, 
T  know,  is  exactly  what  obliges  him.  It  affords  him 
such  undeniable  grounds  for  the  depreciation  of  others, 
and  the  indulgence  of  his  own  weak  vanity ! 

In  like  manner  I  obliged  my  German  friends,  who, 
however,  are  altogether  different  in  their  exactions,  and 
only  require  Americans  to  drop  all  their  uncivilized  hab 
its,  and  become  like  themselves — quiet,  decent,  and  re 
spectable  old  fogies.  Therefore  I  obeyed  the  laws, 
doffed  my  savage  California  costume,  quit  whisky,  took 
to  beer,  avoided  all  passages  of  tenderness  toward  the 
female  sex,  and  herded  mostly  with  men.  For  a  time, 
however,!  held  on  to  my  beloved  quid  of  cigar.  It  was 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  191 

such  a  solace  in  the  midst  of  all  these  privations !  But, 
alas !  I  had  to  give  that  up  too ;  there  was  not  a  spot  in 
all  Germany  suitable  for  the  purpose  of  expectoration ! 
The  floors  of  the  houses  are  so  dreadfully  clean — not  a 
piece  of  carpet  bigger  than  a  rug  to  sit  upon;  the  porce 
lain  stoves  so  inaccessible ;  the  windows  always  shut ; 
every  nook  and  corner  blazing  with  little  ornaments; 
the  lady  of  the  house  so  severely  conscious  of  every 
movement;  even  the  little  earthen  pans  near  the  stove, 
filled  with-  white  sand  nicely  smoothed  over  to  represent 
salt-cellars — the  ostensible  spittoons  of  the  establishment 
— staring  one  in  the  face  with  a  cold,  steady  gaze  amount 
ing  to  a  positive  prohibition — no,  the  thing  was  impossi 
ble  !  I  saw  plainly  that  a  good,  old-fashioned  squirt  of 
tobacco-juice  would  ruin  such  a  country  as  this,  where 
every  room  in  every  house  was  inimical  to  the  habit, 
and  every  speck  of  ground  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land  adapted  to  some  useful  or  ornament 
al  purpose.  Why,  sir,  I  assure  you  that  in  the  little 
duchy  of  Nassau — where  it  is  said  the  grand-duke  is  un 
able  to  exercise  his  soldiers  at  target-shooting  without 
obtaining  permission  to  place  the  target  in  some  neigh 
boring  state — I  found  the  garden-walks  and  public  roads 
so  fearfully  clean,  every  leaf  and  twig  being  swept  up 
daily,  and  preserved  to  manure  the  duchy,  that  during 
a  pedestrian  tour  of  three  days  I  was  absolutely  ashamed 
to  spit  any  where.  There  was  no  possible  chance  of 
doing  it  without  expunging  a  soldier  or  a  policeman,  or 
disfiguring  the  entire  province.  The  result  was,  between 
tobacco-juice,  salt  water,  iron  water,  sulphur  water,  soda- 
water,  and  all  other  sorts  of  water  that  came  out  of  the 
earth  from  Brunnens  of  Nassau,  I  got  home  as  thin  as  a 
snake,  and  was  forced  to  deny  myself  even  the  poor  con 
solation  of  a  Frankfort  cigar.  So  matters  went  on  for 
nearly  a  year.  I  became  a  morose  and  melancholy  man. 
This  will  account  for  all  the  bitter  and  ill-natured  things 
I  said  of  the  Germans  in  some  of  my  sketches,  every 
word  of  which  I  now  retract. 


192  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

But  to  come  to  the  point  of  the  narrative.  In  the  due 
course  of  a  vagabond  life,  after  visiting  Russia  and  Swe 
den,  I  found  myself  one  day  on  the  road  from  Lilleham- 
mef  to  the  Dorre  Fjeld  in  Norway.  I  sat  in  a  little 
cariole — an  old  peasant  behind.  The  scenery  was  sub 
lime.  Poetry  crept  over  my  inmost  soul.  The  old  man 
leaned  over  and  said  something.  Great  heavens !  What 
a  combination  of  luxuries !  His  breath  smelled  of  whis 
ky  and  tobacco.  I  was  enchanted.  I  turned  and  gazed 
fondly  and  affectionately  in  his  withered  old  farce.  Two 
streams  of  rich  juice  coursed  down  his  furrowed  chin. 
His  leathery  and  wrinkled  mouth  was  besmeared  with 
the  precious  fluid ;  his  eyes  rolled  foolishly  in  his  head ; 
he  hung  on  to  the  cariole"  with  a  trembling  and  unsteady 
hand  ;  a  delicious  odor  pervaded  the  entire  man.  I  saw 
that  he  was  a  congenial  soul — cottoned  to  him  at  once 
— grasped  him  by  the  hand — swore  he  was  the  first  civ 
ilized  human  I  had  met  in  all  my  travels  through  Europe 
— and  called  upon  him,  in  the  name  of  the  great  Ameri 
can  brotherhood  of  chewers,  to  pass  me  a  bite  of  his  to 
bacco.  From  that  moment  we  were  the  best  of  friends. 
The  old  man  dived  into  the  depths  of  a  greasy  pocket, 
pulled  out  a  roll  of  black  pigtail,  and  with  joy  beaming 
from  every  feature,  saw  me  tear  from  it  many  a  goodly 
mouthful.  We  talked — he  in  Norwegian,  I  in  a  mixture 
of  German  and  English;  we  chewed;  we  spat ;  we  laugh 
ed  and  joked ;  we  forgot  all  the  discrepancies  of  age, 
nativity,  condition,  and  future  prospects;  in  short,  we 
were  brothers,  by  the  sublime  and  potent  free-masonry 
of  tobacco.  All  that  day  my  senses  were  entranced.  I 
saw  nothing  but  familiar  faces,  gulches,  canons,  bar 
rooms,  and  boozy  stage-drivers ;  smelt  nothing  but  whis 
ky  and  tobacco  in  every  flower  by  the  wayside ;  aspired 
to  nothing  but  Congress  and  the  suffrages  of  my  fellow- 
citizens.  I  was  once  again  in  my  own,  my  beloved  Cal 
ifornia. 

"Such  is  the  patriot's  honst,  where'er  we  roam, 
His  first,  best  country  ever  is  at  home." 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  193 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CIVILIZATION    IN   RUSSIA. 

IT  may  be  a  little  startling  to  set  out  with  the  general 
proposition  that  Russia  is  not  only  very  far  from  being 
a  civilized  country,  but  that  it  never  can  be  one  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  term.  The  remark  of  Peter  the 
Great,  that  distance  was  the  only  serious  obstacle  to  be 
overcome  in  the  civilization  of  Russia,  was  such  as  might 
well  be  made  by  a  monarch  of  iron  will  and  unparalleled 
energy,  at  whose  bidding  a  great  city  arose  out  of  the 
swamps  of  Courland,  where  Nature  never  intended  a 
city  to  stand.  But  the  remark  is  not  true  in  point  of 
fact.  Distance  can  be  annihilated,  or  nearly  so  ;  and  al 
though  Peter  the  Great  was  probably  aware  of  that  fact, 
he  might  well  have  reasoned  that  facility  of  intercom 
munication  is  not  so  much  the  cause  as  the  result  of  civ 
ilization.  The  wilderness  may  be  made  to  blossom  as 
the  rose  through  human  agency,  but  it  can  only  be  done 
by  divine  permission.  I  think  that  permission  has  been 
withheld  in  the  case  of  a  very  considerable  portion  of 
Russia.  No  human  power  can  successfully  contend 
against  the  depressing  influences  of  a  climate  scarcely 
paralleled  for  its  rigor.  Where  there  are  four  months 
of  a  summer,  to  which  the  scorching  heats  of  Africa  can 
scarcely  bear  a  comparison,  and  from  six  to  eight  months 
of  a  polar  winter,  it  is  utterly  impossible  that  the  moral 
and-  intellectual  faculties  of  man  can  be  brought  to  the 
highest  degree  of  perfection.  There  must,  of  course,  al 
ways  be  exceptions  to  every  general  rule;  but  even  in 
the  dark  and  bloody  history  of  Russia  we  find  that  the 
exceptions  of  superior  intelligence  and  enlightenment 
have  been  chiefly  confined  to  those  who  availed  them 
selves  of  the  advantages  afforded  by  more  temperate 

I 


194  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

climes.  Peter  himself,  the  greatest  of  the  Czars,  and 
certainly  the  most  gifted  of  his  race  in  point  of  intellect, 
perfected  his  education  in  other  countries,  and  in  all  his 
grand  enterprises  of  improvement  availed  himself  of  the 
intellect  and  experience  of  other  races.  Every  impor 
tant  improvement  introduced  into  Russia  during  his 
reign  was  the  product  of  some  other  country,  executed 
under  foreign  supervision.  This,  perhaps,  morje  than 
any  thing  else,  may  be  said  to  afford  the  most  striking 
evidence  of  the  enlarged  and  progressive  character  of 
his  mind.  Yet  the  very  same  practice  has  been  followed 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  by  all  his  successors,  and  still, 
with  the  exception  of  a  railroad  built  by  Americans,  a 
telegraph  system,  a  few  French  fashions,  and  a  move 
ment  professing  to  have  for  its  object  the  emancipation 
of  the  serfs,  the  country,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  sea 
port  districts  and  those  parts  bordering  on  the  States 
of  Germany,  has  advanced  but  little  toward  civilization 
since  the  reign  of  Peter. 

With  such  a  vast  extent  of  territory,  and  such  a  varie 
ty  of  climates  as  it  must  necessarily  embrace,  it  may 
seem  rather  a  broad  assertion  to  say  that  climate  can  be 
any  obstacle  to  Russian  civilization  ;  but  let  us  glance 
for  a  moment  at  the  general  character  of  the  country. 
Between  the  sixtieth  and  seventy-eighth  degrees  of  north 
latitude,  embracing  a  considerable  portion  of  European 
and  Asiatic  Russia,  the  winters  are  exceedingly  long  and 
severe,  the  summers  so  short  that  but  little  dependence 
can  be  placed  upon  crops.  The  greater  part  of  this  re 
gion  consists  of  lakes,  swamps,  forests  of  pine,  and  ex 
tensive  and  barren  plains.  The  mines  of  Siberia  may  be 
regarded  as  the  most  valuable  feature  in  this  desolate 
region.  The  production  of  flax  and  hemp  in  the  prov 
ince  of  Petersburg,  and  the  lumber  products  of  the  for 
ests  which  are  accessible  to  the  capital,  give  some  im 
portance  to  such  portions  as  border  on  the  southern  and 
European  limit  of  this  great  belt ;  but  its  general  feat 
ures  are  opposed  to  agricultural  progress.  Whatever 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  195 

of  civilization  can  exist  within  it  must  be  of  forced 
growth,  and  be  maintained  under  the  most  adverse  cir 
cumstances.  South  of  this,  between  the  fifty-fifth  and 
sixtieth  degrees  of  latitude,  comes  a  still  wider  and  more 
extensive  region,  comprising  St.  Petersburg,  Riga,  Mos 
cow,  Smolensk,  and  a  portion  of  Irkutsk  and  Nijni  Nov 
gorod.  Here  the  summers  are  longer  a,nd  the  winters 
not  quite  so  severe;  but  a  large  portion  of  the  country 
consists  of  forests,  sterile  plains,  and  extensive  marshes, 
and  much  of  it  is  entirely  unfit  for  cultivation.  The 
European  portions  are  well  settled,  and  corn,  flax,  and 
hemp  are  produced  wherever  the  land  is  available,  and 
large  bands  of  cattle  roam  over  many  parts  of  the  coun 
try.  In  its  general  aspect,  however,  considering  the  du 
ration  and  severity  of  the  winters,  and  the  large  pro 
portion  of  unavailable  lands,  I  do  not  think  it  can  ever 
become  very  productive  in  an  agricultural  point  of 
view.  Between  fifty  and  fifty-five  degrees  latitude,  em 
bracing  the  valley  of  the  Volga,  is  a  more  favored  region, 
abounding  in  fertile  lands,  and  the  summers  are  longer, 
but  the  winters  are  still  severe,  especially  in  the  eastern 
portions.  From  latitude  forty-three  to  fifty,  embracing 
portions  of  Kief,  the  Caucasus,  and  other  southern  pos 
sessions  of  the  empire,  the  winters  are  comparatively 
temperate,  and  the  summers  warm  and  long ;  but  here, 
again,  a  great  portion  of  this  country  consists  of  mount 
ains,  arid  plains,  and  deserts,  and  it  is  subject  to  extreme 
and  terrible  droughts.  Here  is  a  vast  extent  of  territo 
ry,  comprising  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  degrees 
of  longitude  and  thirty-five  of  latitude,  which  contains 
within  its  limits  a  greater  variety  of  bad  climates,  and  a 
greater  amount  of  land  unavailable  for  any  purposes  of 
human  life,  than  any  equal  compass  of  territory  upon 
the  globe,  if  we  except  Africa,  which  is  at  least  doubtful. 
Within  the  limits  of  this  vast,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
inhospitable  region,  we  find  nearly  all  the  races  who,  as 
far  back  as  the  history  of  mankind  dates,  have  been  the 
most  addicted  to  predatory  wars,  and  the  indulgence  of 


196  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

every  savage  propensity  growing  out  of  an  untamable 
nature — Tartars,  Cossacks,  gipsies,  Turks,  Circassians, 
Georgians,  etc.,  and  the  Russians  proper,  whose  wild 
Sclavonic  blood  contains  very  nearly  all  the  vices  and 
virtues  that  circulate  through  the  veins  of  all  these 
races,  besides  many  enterprising  and  unscrupulous  traits 
of  character  to^vhich  the  inferior  tribes  could  never  as 
pire.  Here  we  have  a  mixed  population,  estimated  in 
1856  at  seventy-one  millions,  including  North  American 
possessions  and  tributary  tribes,  a  great  part  of  it  com 
posed  of  totally  incongruous  elements,  and  with  a  va 
riety  of  religions,  embracing  about  nine  millions  of  Ro 
man,  Armenian,  and  irregular  Greek  Catholics,  Luther 
ans,  Mohammedans,  Israelites,  and  Buddhists  —  the  na 
tional  creed  being  the  Greco -Russe,  which,  it  is  esti 
mated,  is  professed  by  about  fifty  millions  of  the  inhab 
itants,  including,  of  course,  infants  and  young  children, 
and  many  others  who  know  nothing  about  it.  To  keep 
all  these  incongruous  elements  in  order,  and  provide 
against  foreign  invasion,  requires  a  standing  army  of 
577,859  troops  "for  grand  operations,"  as  the  last  alma 
nac  expresses  it,  besides  various  corps  de  reserve,  and  a 
navy  of  186  fron  steamers,  41  large  sailing  vessels,  and 
numerous  gun-boats  and  smaller  vessels,  in  the  Baltic, 
the  Black  Sea,  the  Caspian  Sea,  the  White  Sea,  and  the 
Sea  of  Azof.  More  than  seven  eighths  of  these  are 
frozen  up  and  totally  unavailable  for  six  months  every 
year.  It  is  estimated  that,  after  allowing  for  the  forces 
necessary  to  protect  the  home  possessions  of  the  empire, 
of  which  Russian  Poland  is  the  most  troublesome,- the 
number  of  troops  that  can  be  brought  into  active  offen 
sive  operation  does  not,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
exceed  two  hundred  thousand  men,  and  it  must  be  ob 
vious,  considering  that  Russia  has  but  little  external  sea 
board,  and  must  submit  to  the  rigors  of  a  climate  which 
locks  up  the  best  part  of  her  navy  at  least  half  of  every 
year,  that  she  can  never  attain  any  great  strength  as  a 
uaval  power.  I  am  inclined  to  bolicvo,  therefore,  that 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  197 

while  this  great  nation,  or  combination  of  nations,  is, 
from  the  very  nature  of  its  climate  and  topography,  al 
most  impregnable  to  foreign  invasion,  it  can  never  be 
come  a  very  formidable  power  at  any  great  distance  from 
home ;  and  there  are  considerations  connected  with  its 
form  of  government,  and  the  difficulty  or  impracticabil 
ity  of  changing  it,  which,  in  my  opinion,  forms  an  in 
superable  obstacle  to  the  education  of  the  people,  and 
such  general  dissemination  of  intelligence  among  the 
masses  as  will  entitle  them  to  take  the  highest  rank 
among  civilized  nations.  Nor  does  the  history  of  Rus 
sia  during  past  ages  aiFord  much  encouragement  for  a 
different  view  of  the  future.  Democracy  existed  for 
several  centuries  before  the  country  became  subject  to 
despotic  rule,  and  from  the  ninth  to  the  fifteenth  centu 
ry  the  aristocracy  possessed  no  hereditary  privileges  ; 
the  offices  of  state  were  accessible  to  all,  and  the  peasant 
ry  enjoyed  personal  liberty.  It  was  not  until  the  reign 
of  Peter  the  Great — the  high-priest  of  civilization — that 
the  serfs  became  absolute  slaves  subject  to  sale,  with  or 
without  the  lands  upon  which  they  lived.  In  respect  to 
political  liberty,  there  has  been  little,  if  any  advance 
since  the  reign  of  the  Empress  Catharine,  who  accorded 
some  elective  privileges  to  certain  classes  of  her  subjects 
in  the  provinces,  and  reduced  the  administration  of  the 
laws  to  something  like  a  system.  The  absurd  pretense 
of  Alexander  I.  in  according  to  the  Senate  the  right  of 
remonstrating  against  imperial  decrees  is  perfectly  in 
keeping  with  all  grants  of  power  made  by  the  sover 
eigns  of  Russia  to  their  subjects.  There  is  not,  and  can 
not  be  in  the  nature  of  things,  a  limited  despotism.  As 
soon  as  the  subjects  possess  constitutional  rights  at  all 
binding  upon  the  supreme  authority,  it  becomes  another 
form  of  government.  The  great  difficulty  in  Russia  is, 
that  the  sovereign  can  not  divest  himself  of  any  substan 
tial  part  of  his  power  without  adding  to  that  of  the  no 
bles  and  the  aristocracy,  who  are  already,  by  birth,  posi 
tion,  and  instinct,  the  class  most  to  be  feared,  and  most 


198  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

inimical  to  the  progress  of  freedom.  It  is  not  altogeth 
er  the  ignorance  of  the  masses,  therefore,  that  forms  an 
insuperable  barrier  to  the  introduction  of  more  liberal 
institutions,  but  the  wealth,  intelligence,  and  influence 
of  the  higher  classes,  who  neither  toil  nor  spin,  but  de 
rive  their  support  from  the  labor  of  the  masses  whom 
they  hold  in  subjection.  It  is  natural  enough  they 
should  oppose  every  reform  tending  to  elevate  these 
subordinate  classes  upon  whom  they  are  dependent  for 
all  the  powers  and  luxuries  of  their  position.  Admit 
ting  that  the  present  emperor  may  have  a  leaning  to 
ward  free  institutions,  and  possibly  contemplate  educa 
ting  forty  or  fifty  millions  of  his  subjects  to  run  him  into 
the  Presidency  of  Russia,  it  is  obvious  that  the  path  is 
very  thorny,  and  that  the  position  will  be  well  earned  if 
ever  he  gets  there.  But  these  acts  of  sovereign  conde 
scension,  although  they  read  very  well  in  newspapers, 
and  serve  to  entertain  mankind  with  vague  ideas  of  the 

D 

progress  of  freedom,  are  generally  the  essence  of  an  in 
tense  egotism,  and  amount  to  nothing  more  than  cun 
ning  devices  to  subvert  what  little  of  liberty  their  sub 
jects  may  be  likely  to  extort  from  them  by  the  mainte 
nance  of  their  rights.  I  do  not  say  that  Alexander  II. 
is  governed  by  these  motives,  but,  having  no  faith  in 
kings  or  despots  of  any  kind,  however  good  they  may 
be,  I  can  see  no  reason  why  he  should  prove  any  better 
than  his  predecessors.  Upon  this  point  let  me  tell  you 
an  anecdote.  You  are  aware,  perhaps,  that  the  Finns 
have  a  Constitution  which  allows  them  to  do  what  they 
please,  provided  it  be  pleasing  to  the  emperor.  Like 
the  ukase  of  Alexander  I.  to  the  Senate,  and  all  similar 
LjT.'ints  of  authority,  it  is  not  worth  the  parchment  upon 
which  it  is  written,  and  in  its  practical  operation  is  no 
better  than  a  practical  joke.  The  Fums,  however,  are  a 
brave,  simple  minded,  and  rather  superstitious  people, 
and  take  some  pride  in  this  Constitution.  It  is  the 
ghost  of  liberty  at  all  events,  and  they  indulge  in  the 
hope  that  some  day  or  other  it  will  fish  up  the  dead 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  199 

body.  Xot  more  than  a  few  weeks  ago,  a  small  party 
of  these  worthy  people,  on  their  way  to  Stockholm  for 
purposes  of  business  or  pleasure,  were  arrested  and  put 
in  prison  by  the  Russian  authorities  on  the  supposition 
that  they  differed  from  the  emperor  in  his  interpretation 
of  this  liberal  Constitution,  and  were  going  to  Sweden 
to  lay  their  grievances  before  their  old  compatriots.  It 
is  quite  possible  that  this  was  true.  I  heard  complaints 
made  when  I  was  in  Helsingfors  that  there  was  quite  a 
difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject.  But  it  is  a  marvel 
how  they  could  misunderstand  their  right  under  the 
Constitution,  when  there  is  a  strong  military  force  sta 
tioned  at  the  principal  cities  of  Finland  to  make  it  intel 
ligible.  So  thought  the  emperor  or  his  subordinates, 
and  put  them  in  jail  to  give  them  light.  The  point  in 
the  transaction  which  strikes  me  most  forcibly  is,  that  a 
power  like  that  of  Russia,  after  having  wrested  the  prov 
ince  of  Finland  from  Sweden,  with  an  army  and  navy 
far  inferior  to  what  she  now  possesses,  should  be  afraid 
that  a  handful  of  Finns  should  tell  a  pitiful  tale  to  the 
King  of  Sweden,  and  prevail  upon  him  to  take  their 
country  back  again.  If  this  be  the  freedom  granted  un 
der  the  free  Constitution  of  Finland,  the  restraints  upon 
personal  liberty  must  be  pretty  stringent  in  dependen 
cies  where  no  Constitutions  at  all  exist. 

By  a  natural  law,  the  waves  of  despotism  gather 
strength  and  volume  as  they  spread  from  the  central 
power.  It  is  scarcely  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the 
Autocrat  of  Russia  is  the  least  despotic  of  all  the  des 
pots  in  authority.  The  landed  proprietors  in  the  remote 
provinces  too  often  rule  their  dependents  with  an  iron 
rod,  and  the  strong  arm  of  the  supreme  authority  is  more 
frequently  exercised  in  the  protection  than  in  the  oppres 
sion  of  the  lowea  classes.  The  tribunals  of  justice  in 
these  districts  are  corrupt,  and  the  laws,  as  they  are  ad 
ministered  by  the  subordinate  officers  of  the  government, 
afford  but  little  chance  of  justice  to  the  ignorant  masses. 
The  landed  proprietors  are  subjected  to  various  exact- 


200  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

ments  and  oppressions  from  the  governors,  and  these 
again  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  various  colleges  or  depart 
ments  above  them,  and  so  on  up  to  the  imperial  council 
and  imperial  presence.  Each  class  or  grade  becomes  in 
dependent,  despotic,  and  corrupt  in  proportion  as  they 
recede  from  the  central  authority,  having  a  greater  lati 
tude  of  power,  and  being  less  apprehensive  of  punish 
ment  for  its  abuse.  In  truth,  the  nobles  and  aristocracy 
are  the  immediate  oppressors  of  the  ignorant  masses, 
who  are  taught  to  regard  them* as  demigods,  and  bow 
down  before  them  in  slavish  abasement.  Now  and  then, 
in  extreme  cases,  where  the  autocrat  discovers  abuses 
which  threaten  to  impair  his  authority,  he  sends  some  of 
these  aspiring  gentlemen  on  a  tour  of  pleasure  to  Siberia, 
and  thus  practically  demonstrates  that  there  is  a  ruling- 
power  in  the  land.  As  all  authority  emanates  from  him, 
and  all  responsibility  rests  with  him,  so  all  justice,  liber 
ality,  fair  dealing,  and  humanity  are  apt  to  find  in  a  good 
sovereign,  under  such  a  system,  their  best  friend  and 
most  conscientious  supporter.  The  success  of  his  gov 
ernment,  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  his  people,  even 
the  perpetuity  of  the  entire  political  system,  depend  upon 
the  judicious  and  equitable  use  which  he  makes  of  his 
power.  There  are  limits  to  human  forbearance,  as  sov 
ereigns  have  discovered  by  this  time.  The  Czar  is  but 
a  man,  a  mere  mortal,  after  all,  and  can  only  hold  his  au 
thority  through  the  consent,  indifference,  or  ignorance  of 
his  subjects;  but  should  he  oppress  them  by  extraordi 
nary  punishments  or  exactions,  or  withdraw  from  them 
his  protection  against  the  petty  tyranny  of  his  subordi 
nates,  he  would  find,  sooner  or  later,  that  the  most  de 
graded  can  be  aroused  to  resentment.  It  is  the  belief 
on  the  part  of  the  peasantry,  of  which  the  population  of 
Russia  is  in  so  large  a  part  formed,  that  the  emperor  is 
their  friend — that  he  does  not  willingly  or  unnecessarily 
deprive  them  of  their  liberties.  This  tends  to  keep  them 
in  subjection.  Indeed,  they  have  but  faint  notions  of 
liberty,  if  any  at  all,  born  as  they  are  to  a  condition  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  201 

servitude,  and  reared  in  abject  submission  to  the  govern 
ing  authorities.  They  are  generally  well  satisfied  if  they 
can  get  enough  to  eat ;  and,  when  they  are  not  subjected 
to  cruel  and  unusual  abuses,  are  comparatively  happy. 

The  unreasonable  assumptions  of  power  on  the  part 
of  their  immediate  governing  authorities  present  a  trait 
common  to  mankind.  We  know  from  experience  in  our 
own  country  that  the  negro-driver  on  a  Southern  planta 
tion — a  slave  selected  from  slaves — is  often  more  tyran 
nical  in  the  use  of  authority  than  the  overseer  or  owner. 
We  know  that  there  are  hard  and  unfeeling  overseers 
on  many  plantations,  where  the  owner  is  comparatively 
mild  and  humane.  So  far  as  he  knows  any  thing  of  the 
details  of  his  own  affairs,  his  natural  disposition  accords 
with  his  interest,  and  he  is  favorable  to  the  kind  treat 
ment  of  his  slaves.  But  he  can  not  permit  them  to  be 
come  intelligent  beings.  They  may  study  all  the  me 
chanical  arts  which  may  be  useful  to  him — become  black 
smiths,  carpenters,  or  machinists,  but  they  must  not  learn 
that  they  are  held  in  servitude,  and  that  the  Almighty 
has  given  him  no  natural  right  to  live  upon  their  earn 
ings,  or  enjoy  his  pleasure  or  power  at  the  expense  of 
their  labor  and  their  freedom.  The  same  condition  of 
things,  with  some  variation,  of  course,  arising  from  dif 
ferences  of  climate  and  races,  exists  in  Russia,  and  the 
results  are  not  altogether  dissimilar.  We  find  idleness, 
lack  of  principle,  overbearing  manners,  ignorance,  and 
sensualism  a  very  common  characteristic  of  the  superior 
classes,  mingled  though  it  may  be  with  a  show  of  fine 
manners,  and  such  trivial  and  superficial  accomplish 
ments  as  may  be  obtained  without  much  labor.  It  is  a 
great  negro  plantation  on  a  large  scale,  in  which  the 
gradation  of  powers  has  a  depressing  tendency,  causing 
them  to  increase  in  rigor  as  they  descend,  like  a  stone 
dropped  from  a  height,  which  at  first  might  be  caught 
in  the  open  hand,  but  soon  acquires  force  enough  to 
brain  an  ox. 

One  of  the  effects  of  the  strong  coercive  powers  of  the 
T2 


202  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

government  is  perceptible  in  this,  that  the  greatest  lati 
tude  prevails  in  every  thing  that  does  not  interfere  with 
the  maintenance  of  political  authority ;  and  although  it 
is  difficult,  in  such  a  country,  to  find  much  that  comes 
within  that  category,  occasional  exceptions  may  be  found. 
Thus  drunkenness,  debauchery,  indecency,  and  reckless, 
prodigal,  and  filthy  habits,  are  but  little  regarded,  while 
the  slightest  approach  to  the  acquisition  of  a  liberal  edu 
cation,  or  the  expression  of  liberal  opinions  on  any  sub 
ject  connected  with  public  polity,  is  rigidly  prohibited. 
Most  of  the  English  newspapers  are  excluded  from  the 
empire,  although  if  admitted  they  would  have  but  few 
general  readers  among  the  Russians — certainly  not  many 
among  the  middle  or  lower  classes.  No  publication  on 
political  economy,  no  work  of  any  kind  relating  to  the 
science  of  government  or  the  natural  rights  of  man  ; 
nothing,  in  short,  calculated  to  impair  the  faith  of  the 
people  in  the  necessity  of  their  political  servitude,  is  per 
mitted  to  enter  the  country  without  a  most  careful  ex 
amination.  A  rigid  censorship  is  exercised  over  the 
press,  the  libraries,  the  public  colleges,  the  schools,  and 
all  institutions  having  in  view  the  education  of  the  peo 
ple  and  the  dissemination  of  intelligence.  The  Censorial 
Bureau  is  in  itself  an  important  branch  of  the  govern 
ment,  having  its  representatives  diffused  throughout  ev 
ery  province,  in  every  public  institution,  and  even  ex 
tending  its  ramifications  into  the  sacred  realms  of  pri 
vate  life ;  for  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  a  family  can 
not  employ  a  private  tutor  whose  antecedents  and  polit 
ical  proclivities  have  not  undergone  the  scrutiny  and  re 
ceived  the  official  sanction  of  the  censorial  authorities. 

How  can  a  country,  under  such  circumstances,  be  ex 
pected  to  take  a  high  rank  among  the  enlightened  na 
tions  of  the  earth  ?  The  very  germ  of  its  existence  is 
founded  in  the  suppression  of  intelligence.  It  may  enjoy 
a  limited  advancement,  but  there  can  be  no  great  prog 
ress  in  any  direction  which  does  not  tend  at  the  same 
time  to  the  subversion  of  a  despotic  rule.  Even  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  >203 

theatres,  operas,  cafes^  and  all  places  of  public  amuse 
ment,  are  under  the  same  rigid  surveillance.  No  play 
can  be  performed,  no  opera  given,  no  cafe  opened,  no 
garden  amusements  offered  to  the  public,  unless  under 
the  supervision  and  with  the  sanction  of  the  censorial 
authorities.  In  all  well-regulated  communities  there 
must  be,  of  course,  some  local  or  municipal  restrictions 
respecting  popular  amusements,  based  upon  a  regard  for 
public  morals,  but  in  this  case  the  question  of  morality 
is  not  taken  into  much  account.  Provided  there  is  noth 
ing  politically  objectionable  in  the  performance,  and  it 
has  no  tendency  to  make  the  people  better  acquainted 
with  the  rottenness  of  courts,  the  selfishness,  wickedness, 
and  insincerity  of  men  in  authority,  and  their  own  rights 
as  human  beings — provided  the  theme  be  Jishn  za  Zara 
— "  Your  life  for  your  Czar,"  or  the  exhibition  a  volup 
tuous  display — provided  it  be  merely  a  matter  of  abject 
adulation  or  fashionable  sensation,  the  most  fastidious 
censor  can  find  no  fault  with  it.  What,  then,  does  the 
education  of  the  masses  amount  to  ?  We  read  of  lec 
tures  for  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the  people  ; 
of  colleges  for  young  men  ;  of  various  institutions  of 
learning ;  of  a  liberal  system  of  common  schools  for  the 
poor.  All  this  is  very  well  in  its  way.  A  little  light 
is  better  than  none  when  the  road  is  crooked,  and  the 
country  abounds  in  ruts  and  deep  pitfalls.  But  the 
lights  shed  by  these  institutions  are  much  obscured  by 
the  official  glasses  through  which  they  shine.  The  build 
ing  of  fortifications  ;  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder  ; 
the  use  of  guns  and  swords ;  the  beauties  of  rhetoric 
abounding  in  the  drill  manual ;  the  eloquence  of  bat 
teries  and  broadsides  ;  the  poetry  of  ditching  and  drain 
ing  ;  the  ethics  of  primary  obedience  to  the  authorities, 
and  afterward  to  God  and  reason ;  all  that  pertains  to 
rapine,  bloodshed,  and  wholesale  murder — the  noble  art 
of  mutilating  men  in  the  most  effective  manner,  and  the 
best  method  of  cutting  them  up  or  putting  them  togeth 
er  again  when  that  is  done ;  the  horrid  sin  of  using  one's 


204  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

own  lights  on  any  internal  problem  of  right  or  wrong, 
religion  or  public  policy,  when  the  emperor,  in  the  pleni 
tude  of  his  generosity,  furnishes  light  enough  out  of  his 
individual  head  for  sixty-five  millions  of  people — these 
are  the  principal  themes  upon  which  the  intellects  of  the 
rising  generation  of  Russia  are  nourished.  In  the  pri 
mary  schools  a  select  and  authorized  few  are  taught 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  but  they  seldom  get 
much  farther,  and  not  always  that  far,  before  subordi 
nate  positions  in  the  army  or  navy  are  found  for  them. 
Their  education  is  indeed  very  limited,  and  may  be  set 
down  as  an  exception  to  the  general  ignorance. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  whole  system  of  education 
has  but  one  object  in  view,  the  maintenance  of  a  military 
despotism.  In  this  it  would  scarcely  be  reasonable  to 
search  for  cause  of  complaint.  Doubtless  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge  is  encouraged  as  far  as  may  be  consistent 
with  public  security  and  public  peace.  But  it  is  obvious 
that  under  such  a  system  these  people  can  never  emerge 
from  their  condition  of  semi-barbarism.  They  must  con 
tinue  behind  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  highest  order  of  civilization.  Science,  in  a  limited 
sense,  may  find  a  few  votaries;  the  arts  may  be  culti 
vated  to  a  certain  degree ;  a  feeble  school  of  literature 
may  attain  the  eminence  of  a  national  feature ;  but  there 
can  be  no  general  expansion  of  the  intellectual  faculties, 
no  enlarged  and  comprehensive  views  of  life  and  of  hu 
man  affairs.  Whatever  these  people  do  must  be  sub 
servient  to  military  rule ;  beyond  that  there  can  be  little 
advance  save  in  what  is  palpable  to  the  grosser  senses, 
or  what  panders  to  the  savagery  of  their  nature.  A 
statesman  or  a  philosopher,  with  independence  enough 
to  think  and  speak  the  truth  if  his  views  differed  from 
those  of  the  constituted  authorities,  would  be  a  very 
dangerous  character,  and  be  very  apt  to  pursue  his  ca 
reer,  in  company  with  all  who  have  hitherto  aspired  to 
distinction  in  that  way,  beyond  the  confines  of  Siberia. 
Russia  may  produce  many  Karasmins  to  write  glowing 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  205 

histories  of  her  wars  and  conquests,  but  her  Burkes,  her 
Pitts,  and  her  Foxes  will  be  few,  and  her  Shakspeares 
and  her  Bacons  fewer  still.  Her  Pascal's  Reflections  will 
be  tinged  with  Siberian  horrors ;  her  Young's  Night 
Thoughts  will  be  of  the  dancing  damsels  of  St.  Peters 
burg;  her  Vicars  of  Wakefield  will  abound  in  the  genial 
humor  of  devils  and  dragons,  saints  and  tortures ;  and 
the  wit  of  her  Sidney  Smiths  will  have  a  crack  of  the 
knout  about  it,  skinning  men's  back's  rather  than  their 
backslidings ;  effective  only  when  it  draws  human  blood, 
and  best  approved  by  the  censors  when  it  strikes  at  hu 
man  freedom. 

We  find  the  results  of  such  a  system  strongly  marked 
upon  the  general  character.  While  equals  are  jealous 
of  each  other,  inferiors  are  slavish  and  superiors  tyran 
nical.  It  is  often  the  case  that  overbearing  manners  and 
abject  humility  are  centred  in  the  same  class  or  person. 
Thus  the  Camarilla  are  overbearing  to  the  bureaucracy, 
the  bureaucracy  to  the  provincial  nobility,  and  the  pro 
vincial  nobility  to  the  inferior  classes.  As  I  said  before, 
it  is  a  sliding-scale  of  despotism.  The  worst  feature  of 
it  is  seen  in  the  treatment  of  women.  Among  the  better 
classes  conventionality  has,  doubtless,  somewhat  melio 
rated  their  condition.  Absolute  physical  cruelty  would 
be,  perhaps,  a  violation  of  etiquette  and  good  breeding ; 
but  neglect,  selfishness,  innate  coarseness  of  thought,  and 
a  general  want  of  chivalrous  appreciation,  are  too  com 
mon  in  the  treatment  of  Russian  women  not  to  strike 
the  most  casual  observer.  Certainly  the  impressions  of 
one  who  has  been  taught  from  infancy  to  regard  the 
gentler  sex  as  entitled  to  the  most  profound  respect  and 
chivalrous  devotion — to  look  upon  them  as  beings  of  a 
more- delicate  essence  than  man,  yet  infinitely  superior  in 
those  moral  attributes  which  rise  so  high  above  intellect 
or  physical  power — are  not  favorable  to  the  assumptions 
of  Russian  civilization.  Yet,  since  the  condition  of  wom 
an  is  but  little  better  in  any  part  of  Europe,  it  may  be 
that  this  is  one  of  the  fashions  imported  from  France  or 


206  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

Germany,  and  since  these  two  claim  to  be  the  most  po 
lite  and  cultivated  nations  in  existence,  it  is  even  possi 
ble  that  the  Americans — a  rude  people,  who  have  not 
yet  had  time  to  polish  their  manners  or  perfect  their  cus 
toms — may  be  mistaken  in  their  estimate  of  the  ladies, 
and  will,  some  day  or  other,  become  more  Europeanized. 

But,  in  all  fairness,  if  the  Russians  be  a  little  uncouth 
in  their  way,  they  possess,  like  bears,  a  wonderful  apt 
ness  in  learning  to  dance;  if  the  brutal  element  is  strong 
in  their  nature,  so  also  is  the  capacity  to  acquire  frivolous 
and  meretricious  accomplishments.  Like  all  races  in 
which  the  savage  naturally  predominates,  they  delight 
in  the  glitter  of  personal  decoration,  the  allurements  of 
music,  dancing,  and  the  gambling-table,  and  all  the  lux 
uries  of  idleness  and  sensuous  folly — traits  which  they 
share  pretty  generally  with  the  rest  of  mankind.  Trop 
ical  gardens,  where  the  thermometer  is  twenty  degrees 
below  zero ;  feasts  and  frolics  that  in  a  single  night  may 
leave  them  beggars  for  life  ;  military  shows ;  the  smoke 
and  carnage  of  battle ;  the  worship  of  their  saints  and 
Czars — these  are  their  chief  pleasures  and  most  genial 
occupations. 

But,  with  all  this  folly  and  prodigality,  there  is  really 
a  great  deal  of  native  generosity  in  the  Russian  character. 
Liberal  to  a  fault  in  every  thing  but  the  affairs  of  gov 
ernment,  they  freely  bestow  their  wealth  upon  charita 
ble  institutions,  and,  whether  rich  or  poor,  are  ever  ready 
to  extend  the  hand  of  relief  to  the  distresses  of  their 
fellow-creatures.  It  is  rarely  they  hoard  their  gains. 
There  are  few  who  do  not  live  up  to  the  full  measure 
of  their  incomes,  and  most  of  them  very  far  beyond. 
Whether  they  spend  their  means  for  good  or  for  evil, 
they  are  at  least  free  from  the  groveling  sin  of  stinginess. 
I  never  met  more  than  one  stingy  Russian  to  my  knowl 
edge  ;  but  let  him  go.  He  reaped  his  reward  in  the  dis 
like  of  all  who  knew  him.  Toward  each  other,  even  the 
lu'ULrars  are  liberal.  There  is  nothing  little  or  contempt 
ible  in  the  Russian  character.  Overbearing  and  des- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  207 

potic  they  may  be ;  deficient  in  the  gentler  traits  which 
grace  a  more  cultivated  people;  but  meanness  is  not 
one  of  their  failings.  In  this  they  present  a  striking  con 
trast  to  a  large  and  influential  portion  of  their  North 
German  neighbors,  for  whose  sordid  souls  Beelzebub 
might  search  in  vain  through  the  desert  wastes  that  lie 
upon  the  little  end  of  a  cambric  needle. 

In  some  respects  the  Russians  evince  a  more  enlarged 
appreciation  of  the  world's  progress  than  many  of  their 
European  neighbors.  They  have  no  fixed  prejudices 
against  mechanical  improvements  of  any  kind.  Quick 
to  appreciate  every  advance  in  the  useful  arts,  they  are 
ever  ready  to  accept  and  put  in  practical  operation  what 
ever  they  see  in  other  countries  better  than  the  product 
of  their  own.  Thus  they  adopt  English  and  American 
machinery,  railways,  telegraphs,  improvements  in  artil 
lery,  and  whatever  else  they  deem  beneficial,  or  calcu 
lated  to  augment  their  prosperity  and  power  as  a  nation. 
While  in  Germany  it  would  be  almost  an  impossibility 
to  introduce  the  commonest  and  most  obvious  improve 
ment  in  the  mechanical  arts — if  we  except  railways  and 
telegraphs,  which  have  become  a  military  and  political 
necessity,  growing  out  of  the  progress  of  neighboring 
powers — while  many  of  their  fabrics  are  still  made  by 
hand,  and  their  mints,  presses,  and  fire-engines  are  of 
almost  primeval  clumsiness,  the  Russians  eagerly  grasp 
at  all  novelties,  and  are  wonderfully  quick  in  the  com 
prehension  of  their  uses  and  advantages.  A  similar 
comparison  might  be  made  in  reference  to  the  freedom 
of  internal  trade,  and  the  encouragement  given  to  every 
industrial  pursuit  among  the  people,  being  the  exact  re 
verse  of  the  policy  pursued  by  the  German  governments. 
Thus,  while  we  find  them  backward  in  the  refinements 
of  literature  and  intellectual  culture,  it  is  beyond  doubt 
that  they  possess  wonderful  natural  capacity  to  learn. 
•They  lack  steadiness  and  perseverance,  and  are  not  al 
ways  governed  by  the  best  motives  ;  but  in  boldness  of 
spirit,  disregard  of  narrow  prejudice,  ability  to  conceive 


208  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

and  execute  what  they  desire  to  accomplish,  they  have 
few  equals  and  no  superiors.  Combined  with  these  ad 
mirable  traits,  their  wild  Sclavonic  blood  abounds  in  ele 
ments  which,  upon  great  occasions,  arise  to  the  eminence 
of  a  sublime  heroism.  Brave  and  patriotic,  devoted  to 
their  country  and  their  religion,  wre  search  the  pages  of 
history  in  vain  for  a  parallel  to  their  sacrifices  in  the  de 
fense  of  both.  Not  even  the  wars  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  can  produce  such  an  example  of  heroic  devotion 
to  the  maintenance  of  national  integrity  as  the  burning 
of  Moscow.  When  an  entire  people,  devoted  to  their 
religion,  gave  up  their  churches  and  their  shrines  to  the 
devouring  element ;  when  princes  and  nobles  placed  the 
burning  brands  to  their  palaces ;  when  bankers,  mer 
chants,  and  tradesmen  freely  yielded  up  their  hard-earned 
gains;  when  women  and  children  joined  the  great  work 
of  destruction  to  deliver  their  country  from  the  hands 
of  a  ruthless  invader,  it  may  well  be  said  of  that  sublime 
flame — 

"Thou  stand'st  alone  imrivall'd,  till  the  fire, 
To  come,  in  which  all  empires  shall  expire." 

Truly,  when  we  glance  back  at  the  national  career  of 
the  Russians,  they  can  not  but  strike  us  as  a  wonderful 
people.  While  we  must  condemn  their  cruelty  and  ra 
pacity  ;  while  we  can  see  nothing  to  excuse  in  their  fero 
cious  persecution  of  the  Turks ;  while  the  greater  part 
of  their  history  is  a  bloody  record  of  injustice  to  weaker 
nations,  we  can  not  but  admire  their  indomitable  cour 
age,  their  intense  and  unalterable  attachment,  to  their 
brave  old  Czars,  and  their  sublime  devotion  to  their  re 
ligion  and  their  nationality. 


THE  LAND  OF  THUK.  209 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PASSAGE     TO     REVEL. 

IT  was  not  without  a  feeling  of  regret  that  I  took  my 
departure  from*  St.  Petersburg.  Short  as  my  visit  to 
Russia  had  been,  it  was  full  of  interest.  Not  a  single 
day  had  been  idly  or  unprofitably  spent.  Indeed,  I  know 
of  no  country  that  presents  so  many  attractions  to  the 
traveler  who  takes  pleasure  in  novelties  of  character  and 
peculiarities  of  manners  and  customs.  The  lovers  of  pic 
turesque  scenery  will  find  little  to  gratify  his  taste  in  a 
mere  railroad  excursion  to  Moscow  ;  but  with  ample 
time  and  means  at  his  disposal,  a  journey  to  the  Ural 
Mountains,  or  a  voyage  down  the  Volga  to  the  Caspian 
Sea,  would  doubtless  be  replete  with  interest.  For  my 
part,  much  as  I  enjoy  the  natural  beauties  of  a  country 
through  which  I  travel,  they  never  afford  me  as  much 
pleasure  as  the  study  of  a  peculiar  race  of  people.  Mere 
scenery,  however  beautiful,  becomes  monotonous,  unless 
it  be  associated  with  something  that  gives  it  a  varied 
and  striking  human  interest.  The  mountains  and  lakes 
of  Scotland  derive  their  chief  attractions  from  the  wild 
legends  of  romance  and  chivalry  so  inseparably  connect 
ed  with  them ;  and  Switzerland  would  be  but  a  dreary 
desert  of  glaciers  without  its  history.  In  Russia,  Nature 
has  been  less  prodigal  in  her  gifts ;  and  the  real  interest 
of  the  country  centres  in  its  public  institutions,  the  re 
ligious  observances  of  the  people,  and  the  progress  of 
civilization  under  a  despotic  system  of  government.  Of 
these  I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  such  impressions 
as  may  be  derived  from  a  sojourn  of  a  few  weeks  in 
Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg  —  necessarily  imperfect  and 
superficial,  but  I  trust  not  altogether  destitute  of  amus 
ing  features. 


•J10  THE  LAXD  OF  THOK. 

On  a  pleasant  morning  in  August,  I  called  for  my 
"redlining"  at  the  German  gasthaus  on  the  Wasseli- 
Ostrow.  The  bill  was  complicated  in  proportion  to  its 
length.  There  was  an  extra  charge  of  fifteen  kopeks  a 
day  for  the  room  over  and  above  the  amount  originally 
specified.  That  was  conscientious  cheating,  so  I  made 
no  complaint.  Then  there  was  a  charge  for  two  can 
dles  when  I  saw  but  one,  and  always  went  to  bed  by 
daylight.  That  was  customary  cheating,  and  could  not 
be  disputed.  Next  came  an  item  for  beefsteaks,  when, 
to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief,  nothing  but 
veal  cutlets,  which  were  also  duly  specified,  ever  passed 
my  lips  in  any  part  of  Russia.  Upon  that  I  ventured  a 
remonstrance,  but  gave  in  on  the  assurance  that  it  was 
Russian  beefsteak.  I  was  too  glad  to  have  any  ground 
for  believing  that  it  was  not  Russian  dog.  Next  came 
an  item  for  police  commissions.  All  that  work  I  had 
done  myself,  and  therefore  was  entitled  to  demur.  It 
appeared  that  a  man  was  kept  for  that  purpose,  and 
when  he  was  not  employed  he  expected  remuneration 
for  the  disappointment.  Then  there  was  an  item  for 
domestic  service,  when  the  only  service  rendered  was  to 
black  my  boots,  for  which  I  had  already  paid.  No  mat 
ter  ;  it  was  customary,  so  I  gave  in.  Then  came  sundry 
bottles  of  wine.  I  never  drink  wine.  "  But,"  said  the 
proprietor,  "  it  was  on  the  table."  Not  being  able  to 
dispute  that,  I  abandoned  the  question  of  wine.  Vari 
ous  ices  were  in  the  bill.  I  had  asked  for  a  lump  of  ice 
in  a  glass  of  water  on  several  occasions,  supposing  it  to 
be  a  common  article  in  a  country  on  the  edge  of  the  Arc 
tic  circle,  but  for  every  lump  of  ice  the  charge  was  ten 
kopeks.  Upon  this  principle,  I  suppose  they  attach  an 
exorbitant  value  to  thawed  water  during  six  months  of 
the  year,  when  the  Neva  is  a  solid  block  of  ice.  I  find 
that  ice  is  an  uncommonly  costly  luxury  in  Northern 
Europe,  where  there  is  a  great  deal  of  it.  In  Germany 
it  is  ranked  with  fresh  water  and  other  deadly  poisons ; 
in  Russia  it  costs  too  much  for  general  use;  and  in  Nor- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  211 

way  and  Sweden,  where  the  snow-capped  mountains  are 
always  in  sight,  the  people  seem  to  be  unacquainted 
with  the  use  of  iced  water,  or,  indeed,  any  other  kind  of 
water  as  a  beverage  in  summer.  They  drink  brandy 
and  schnapps  to  keep  themselves  cool.  However,  I  got 
through  the  bill  at  last,  without  loss  of  temper,  being 
satisfied  it  was  very  reasonable  for  St.  Petersburg.  Hav 
ing  paid  for  every  article  real  and  imaginary ;  paid  each 
servant  individually  for  looking  at  me ;  then  paid  for  do 
mestic  services  generally ;  paid  the  proprietor  for  speak 
ing  his  native  language,  which  was  German,  and  the 
commissioner  for  wearing  a  brass  band  on  his  cap,  and 
bowing  several  times  as  I  passed  out,  the  whole  matter 
was  amicably  concluded,  and,  with  my  knapsack  on  my 
back,  I  wended  my  way  down  to  the  steam-boat  landing 
of  the  Wasseli-Ostrow.  As  I  was  about  to  step  on 
board  the  Russian  steamer  bound  for  Revel  —  an  eager 
crowd  of  passengers  pressing  in  on  the  plankway  from 
all  sides — I  was  forcibly  seized  by  the  arm.  Supposing 
it  to  be  an  arrest  for  some  unconscious  violation  of  the 
police  regulations,  a  ghastly  vision  of  Siberia  flashed 
upon  my  mind  as  I  turned  to  demand  an  explanation. 
But  it  was  not  a  policeman  who  arrested  me  —  it  was 
only  my  friend,  Herr  Batz,  the  rope-maker,  who,  with  a 
flushed  face  and  starting  eyes,  gazed  at  me.  "  Where 
are  you  going?"  said  he.  "To  Revel,"  said  I.  Almost 
breathless  from  his  struggle  to  get  at  me,  he  forcibly 
pulled  me  aside  from  the  crowd,  drew  me  close  up  to 
him,  and  in  a  hoarse  whisper  uttered  these  remarkable 
words:  "Hempfis  up!  It  took  a  rise  yesterday — Zvjei- 
mal  zwey  macht  vier,  und  sechsmal  vier  macht  vier  und 
zwanzig!  verstehen  sie  ?"  "  Gott  im  Himmel !"  said  I, 
"  you  don't  say  so  ?"  "  Ya,  freilich  /"  groaned  Herr 
Batz,  hoarsely :  "  Zwey  tausent  rubles !  verstehen  sie  f 
Seeks  und  dreissig,  und  acht  und  vierzig"  "  Ya !  ya !" 
said  I,  grasping  him  cordially  by  the  hand,  for  I  was 
afraid  the  steamer  would  leave — " Adjeu,  mein  Herr! 
adjeu!"  and  I  darted  away  into  the  crowd.  The  last  I 


212  THE  LAIS' D  OF  THOK. 

saw  of  the  unfortunate  rope-maker,  he  was  standing  on 
the  quay,  waving  his  red  cotton  handkerchief  at  me. 
As  the  lines  were  cast  loose,  and  the  steamer  swung  out 
into  the  river,  he  put  both  hands  to  his  mouth,  and 
shouted  out  something  which  the  confusion  of  sounds 
prevented  me  from  hearing  distinctly.  I  was  certain, 
however,  that  the  last  word  that  fell  upon  my  ear  was 
"  hempf!" 

The  Neva  at  this  season  of  the  year  presents  a  most 
animated  and  picturesque  appearance.  A  little  above 
the  landing-place  of  the  Baltic  steamers,  a  magnificent 
bridge  connects  the  Wasseli-Ostrow  with  the  main  part 
of  the  city,  embracing  the  Winter  Palace,  the  Admiralty, 
and  the  Nevskoi,  generally  known  as  the  Bolshaia,  or 
Great  Side.  Below  this  bridge,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  in  the  direction  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  the  glitter 
ing  waters  of  the  Neva  are  alive  with  various  kinds  of 
shipping — merchant  vessels  from  all  parts  of  the  world ; 
fishing  smacks  from  Finland  and  Riga ;  lumber  vessels 
from  Tornea ;  wood -boats  from  the  interior;  Russian 
and  Prussian  steamers ;  row-boats,  skiffs,  and  fancy  col 
ored  canoes,  with  crews  and  passengers  representing 
many  nations  of  the  earth,  are  in  perpetual  motion;  and< 
while  the  sight  is  bewildered  by  the  variety  of  moving 
objects,  the  ears  are  confounded  by  the  strange  medley 
of  languages. 

Through  this  confused  web  of  obstacles,  the  little 
steamer  in  which  I  had  taken  passage  worked  her  way 
cautiously  and  systematically,  catching  a  rope  here  and 
there  for  a  sudden  swing  to  the  right  or  to  the  left, 
slopping  and  backing  from  time  to  time,  and  feeling  with 
her  nose  for  the  narrow  channels  of  the  river,  till  she  was 
fairly  out  of  danger,  when,  with  a  blast  of  the  whistle 
and  a  heavy  pressure  of  steam,  she  dashed  forth  into  the 
open  waters  of  the  gulf. 

As  we  gradually  receded,  I  turned  to  take  a  last  look 
at  the  mighty  Venice  of  the  North.  The  gold-covered 
domes  of  the  churches,  rising  high  above  the  massivo 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  213 

ranges  of  palaces,  were  glittering  brilliantly  in  the  sun 
light;  the  variegated  shipping  of  the  Neva  was  growing 
dim  in  the  distance ;  the  masses  of  foliage  that  crowned 
the  islands  were  of  tropical  luxuriance,  and  the  whole 
city,  with  its  palaces,  fortifications,  and  churches,  seemed 
to  rest  upon  the  surface  of  the  waters.  It  was  a  sight 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  I  turned  toward  the  dark  and 
stern  fortresses  of  Cronstadt,  now  breaking  in  strong 
outline  through  the  golden  haze  of  the  morning,  and 
thought  of  the  grim  old  Czar  who  had  thus  battled  with 
Nature,  and  planted  a  mighty  city  in  the  wilderness;  and 
thus  musing,  sighed  to  think  that  such  a  man  should 
have  lacked  the  warmth  divine  which  sheds  the  only 
true  and  enduring  lustre  upon  human  greatness. 

After  the  usual  detention  at  Cronstadt  for  the  exam 
ination  of  passports,  the  steamer  once  more  started  on 
her  way,  and  in  a  few  hours  nothing  was  in  sight  save 
the  shores  of  the  gulf  dim  on  the  horizon,  and  the  sails 
of  distant  vessels  looming  up  in  the  haze. 

I  now,  for  the  first  time,  had  leisure  to  look  at  my  fel 
low-passengers. 

A  Russian  steamer  during  the  pleasure  season  is  a 
floating  Babel.  Here,  within  the  limits  of  a  few  dozen 
feet,  were  the  representatives  of  almost  every  nation  from 
the  Arctic  circle  to  the  tropics — Finns  and  Swedes,  Nor 
wegians  and  Danes,  Tartars  and  Russians,  Poles  and  Ger 
mans,  Frenchmen  and  Englishmen,  South  Americans,  and 
— 1  was  going  to  say  North  Americans,  of  which,  how 
ever,  I  was  the  sole  representative. 

It  was  a  motley  assemblage — a  hodge-podge  of  hu 
manity,  a  kind  of  living  pot-pourri  of  dirty  faces  and 
dirty  shirts,  military  uniforms,  slouched  hats,  blowscs, 
and  big  boots.  There  was  a  Russian  general,  who  al 
ways  stood  at  the  cabin  door  to  show  himself  to  the  rest 
of  the  passengers.  I  don't  know  for  the  life  of  me  what 
he  was  angry  about,  but  his  face  wore  a  perpetual  frown 
of  indignation,  scorn,  and  contempt ;  his  black  brows 
were  constitutionally  knit;  his  eyes  seemed  to  be  always 


214  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

trying  to  overpower  and  knock  somebody  under;  his 
lips  were  firmly  compressed,  and  his  mustaches  stood 
out  like  a  dagger  on  each  side,  with  the  handles  wrapped 
in  a  bundle  of  dirty  hair  under  his  nose.  So  tight  was 
his  uniform  around  the  body  and  neck  that  it  forced  all 
the  blood  up  into  his  face,  and  wouldn't  let  it  get  back 
again  ;  and  it  seemed  a  miracle  that  the  veins  in  his  fore 
head  did  not  burst  and  carry  away  the  top  of  his  head, 
brains  and  all.  Opposite  to  this  great  man,  in  an  atti 
tude  of  profound  humility,  stood  his  liveried  servant — a 
very  gentlemanly -looking  person,  with  an  intellectual 
baldness  covering  the  entire  top  of  his  cranium.  This 
deferential  individual  wore  a  coat  beautifully  variegated 
before  and  behind  with  gold  lace;  a  pair  of  plush  knee- 
breeches,  white  stockings,  and  white  kid  gloves ;  and  was 
continually  engaged  in  bowing  to  the  great  man,  and 
otherwise  anticipating  his  wants.  When  the  great  man 
looked  at  a  trunk,  or  a  carpet  sack,  or  any  thing  else  in 
the  line  of  baggage  or  traveling  equipments,  the  liveried 
servant  bowed  very  low,  looked  nervously  about  him, 
and  then  darted  off  and  seized  hold  of  the  article  in  ques 
tion,  gave  it  a  pull  or  a  push,  put  it  down  again,  looked 
nervously  around  him,  hurried  back  and  bowed  again  to. 
his  august  master,  who  by  that  time  was  generally  look 
ing  in  some  other  direction  with  an  air  of  great  indiffer 
ence — as  much  as  to  say  that  he  was  accustomed  to  that 
species  of  homage,  and  did  not  attach  any  particular  val 
ue  to  it.  The  passengers  regarded  him  with  profound 
awre  and  admiration,  and  seemed  to  be  very  much  afraid 
he  would,  upon  some  trifling  provocation,  draw  his  sword 
and  attack  them.  I  was  determined,  if  ever  he  under 
took  such  a  demonstration  of  authority  as  that,  to  resent 
it  with  the  true  spirit  of  a  California!),  and  cast  about 
me  for  some  weapon  of  personal  defense,  but  saw  noth 
ing  likely  to  be  available  in  an  emergency  of  that  kind 
except  a  small  bucket  of  slush,  with  which,  however,  it 
would  be  practicable  Jo  *  douse  his  glim."  This  great 
man,  with  his  attendant,  was  bound  for  the  sea-baths  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  215 

Revel,  where  he  would  doubtless  soon  be  buffeting  the 
waves  like  a  porpoise — or  possibly,  in  virtue  of  the  com 
manding  powers  vested  in  him  by  nature  and  the  Czar 
of  Russia,  would  sit  down  by  the  sea -shore  like  Hardi- 
canute  the  Dane,  and  order  the  waves  to  retire. 

Then  there  was  an  old  lady  and  her  three  daughters 
who  sat  on  the  camp-stools  by  the  step-ladder ;  the  same 
fat  old  lady,  bedizened  with  finery,  and  the  same  three 
young  ladies,  with  strong  features  and  dismal  dresses, 
which  the  traveler  encounters  all  over  the  Continent  of 
Europe.  The  old  lady  was  in  a  state  of  chronic  agony 
lest  the  young  ladies  should  be  forcibly  seized  and  car 
ried  away  by  some  daring  youth  of  the  male  sex ;  and 
the  young  ladies  were  conscious  that  such  was  the  gen 
eral  purpose  of  mankind,  and  that  they  were  in  immi 
nent  danger  of  being  preyed  upon  in  that  way,  and,  con 
sequently,  must  always  hold  down  their  heads  and  look 
at  the  seams  in  the  deck  upon  the  approach  of  any  gal 
lant-looking  cavalier  with  a  handsome  face  and  a  fine 
figure,  to  say  nothing  of  the  expressive  tenderness  of  his 
eyes  and  the  gracefulness  of  his  manner,  and  many  other 
fascinating  features  in  the  young  gentleman's  appear 
ance,  of  which  they  could  not  be  otherwise  than  entirely 
unconscious,  since  they  had  not  taken  the  slightest  no 
tice  of  him,  and  never  contemplated  encouraging  his  ad 
vances.  The  old  lady  was  a  very  discreet  and  proper 
old  lady,  and  the  young  ladies  were  very  discreet  and 
proper  young  ladies,  and  they  were  going  to  the  baths 
of  Revel  after  their  last  winter's  campaign  in  the  fash 
ionable  circles  of  St.  Petersburg ;  and  any  body  could 
see  at  a  glance  that  they  were  of  a  distinguished  and 
fashionable  family,  because  they  had  a  courier  and  two 
lapdogs,  and  carried  a  coat  of  arms  on  their  trunks  and 
bandboxes,  and  were  taken  with  violent  headaches  soon 
after  leaving  Cronstadt,  and  used  smelling-salts. 

Next  was  the  man  who  belongs  to  no  particular  na 
tion,  speaks  every  language,  and  knows  every  body  —  a 
shabby-genteel,  middle-aged  man,  of  no  ostensible  occu- 


216  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

pation,  but  always  occupied.  "  Sare,"  said  he,  "  I  per 
ceive  you  are  an  Englishman.  I  always  very  glad  am  to 
meet  with  Englishmen.  I  two  years  spent  in  London." 
"  Indeed !"  said  I ;  "  you  speak  English  very  well,  con 
sidering  you  learned  it  in  England  !"  "  Yes,  sare  —  in 
London — I  was  in  business  there.  "Mercantile?"  said 
I.  "  No,  sare ;  I  attended  to  mi-lor  Grauby's  'orses." 
"  Oh !  that  indeed  !"  "  Yes,  sare ;"  and  so  the  conver 
sation  went  on  in  a  manner  both  entertaining  and  in 
structive.  In  the  course  of  it,  I  gathered  that  my  shab 
by-genteel  friend  was  going  to  Revel  to  attend  a  'orse- 


& 
race. 


Another  conspicuous  group  on  the  deck  soon  after  at 
tracted  my  attention  —  the  hungry  people.  This  group 
consisted  of  some  six  or  eight  persons,  male  and  female, 
of  a  very  Jewish  cast  of  features,  well-dressed  and  lively, 
evidently  Germans,  since  they  spoke  in  the  German  lan 
guage.  Scarcely  had  the  steamer  cast  loose  from  the 
quay  when  they  opened  the  pile  of  baskets,  boxes,  and 
packages  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  and,  taking 
out  sundry  loaves  of  bread,  lumps  of  cheese,  sausages, 
and  wine-bottles,  began  to  eat  and  drink  with  a  voraci 
ty  perfectly  amazing.  I  was  certain  I  had  seen  them  a 
thousand  times  before.  Every  feature  was  familiar ;  and 
even  their  constitutional  appetite  was  nothing  new  to 
me.  I  had  never  seen  this  group,  or  their  prototype,  in 
any  public  conveyance,  or  in  any  part  of  the  world,  with 
out  a  feeling  of  envy  at  the  extraordinary  vigor  of  their 
digestive  functions.  Here  were  pale,  cadaverous-looking 
men,  and  sallow  women,  who  never  stopped  eating  from 
morning  till  night,  in  rough  or  calm  weather,  in  sun 
shine  or  storm ;  ever  hungry,  ever  thirsty,  ever  cram 
ming  and  guzzling  with  a  degree  of  zest  that  the  stur 
diest  laborer  in  the  field  could  never  experience;  and 
yet  they  neither  burst  nor  dropped  down  dead,  nor  suf 
fered  from  sea-sickness.  Doubtless  they  had  just  break 
fasted  before  they  came  aboard  ;  but,  to  make  sure  of  it, 
they  immediately  breakfasted  again.  As  soon  as  they 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  217 

were  through  that,  they  lunched  ;  then  they  dined  ;  after 
dinner  they  drank  coffee  and  ate  cakes ;  after  coffee  and 
cakes  they  lunched  again ;  then  they  ate  a  hearty  sup 
per,  and  after  supper  whetted  their  appetites  on  tea  and 
cakes ;  and  before  bedtime  appeased  the  cravings  of 
hunger  with  a  heavy  meal  of  sausages,  brown  bread,  and 
cheese,  which  they  wrashed  down  with  several  bottles 
of  wine.  I  don't  know  how  many  times  they  got  up  to 
eat  in  the  night,  but  suppose  it  could  not  have  been 
more  than  twice  or  three  times,  since  they  were  at  it 
again  by  daylight  in  the.  morning  as  vigorously  as  ever. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  some  people  are  physically 
so  organized  as  to  be  insensible  to  the  difference  be 
tween  a  pound  of  food  and  ten  pounds,  as  others  are  un 
conscious  of  the  difference  between  wit  and  stupidity, 
sense  and  nonsense ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  humor 
ous  group,  wlio  sit  by  the  companion-way,  and  keep 
themselves  and  every  body  around  them  in  a  continued 
roar  of  laughter.  It  is  good  to  be  merry ;  but  I  must 
confess  it  is  not  within  the  bounds  of  my  capacity  to 
discover  a  source  of  merriment  in  such  pranks  of  wit  as 
these  people  enjoy.  A  young  fellow  makes  a  face  like 
an  owl  —  every  body  roars  laughing,  the  idea  is  so  ex 
quisitely  comical.  Another  pulls  his  comrades  by  the 
hair,  and  every  body  shouts  with  uproarious  merriment. 
One  sly  chap  shoves  another  off  his  seat  and  takes  pos 
session  of  it — a  feat  so  humorous  that  the  whole  crowd 
is  convulsed.  A  bad  orange,  pitched  across  the  deck, 
strikes  an  elderly  gentleman  on  the  bald  pate  —  well,  I 
had  to  laugh  at  that  myself.  By-and-by,  a  stout,  florid 
young  gentleman  turns  pale  and  groans ;  three  or  four 
officious  friends,  with  twinkling  eyes,  seize  him  by  the 
arms,  and  drag  him  over  to  the  lee-scuppers,  where  he 
manifests  still  more  decided  symptoms  of  sea-sickness. 
His  friends  hold  him,  rub  him,  chafe  him,  and  pat  him 
on  the  back ;  one  offers  him  a  meerschaum  pipe  to 
smoke;  another,  a  bunch  of  cigars ;  a  third,  a  piece  of  fat 
meat ;  while  a  fourth  tempts  him  with  a  bottle  of  some 

K 


218  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

wine,  all  of  which  is  uncommon  fun  to  every  body  but 
the  unfortunate  victim.  Thus  the  time  passes  away 
pleasantly  enough,  after  all,  taking  into  view  the  variety 
of  incidents  and  scenes  which  constantly  occupy  the  at 
tention  of  a  looker-on.  I  had  taken  a  deck-passage  for 
cheapness,  and  made  out  to  get  through  the  night  by 
bundling  myself  up  on  a  pile  of  baggage,  and  catching  a 
few  cat-naps  whenever  the  noise  created  by  these  lively 
young  gentlemen  would  permit  of  such  a  feat. 

By  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  were  steering 
into  the  harbor  of  Revel. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

KEVEL   AND    IIELSINGFOES. 

FEW  cities  within  the  limits  of  the  Russian  dominions 
possess  greater  historic  interest  than  Revel.  Although 
its  commerce  is  limited  to  a  few  annual  shipments  of 
hemp,  flax,  and  tallow,  produced  in  the  province  of  Es- 
thonia,  and  the  importation  of  such  articles  of  domestic 
consumption  as  the  peasants  require,  it  occupies  a  prom 
inent  position  as  a  naval  depot  for  Russian  vessels  of 
war,  and  is  much  frequented  in  summer  by  the  citizens 
of  St.  Petersburg  as  a  bathing-place  and  general  resort 
of  pleasure.  A  steamer  leaves  daily  for  Revel  and  Hel- 
singfors,  which,  during  the  bathing  season,  is  crowded 
with  passengers,  as  in  the  case  of  my  own  trip,  of  which 
I  have  already  given  you  a  sketch.  The  approach  to 
the  harbor,  in  the  bright  morning  sun,  is  exceedingly 
picturesque.  Beyond  the  forest  of  masts  and  spars, 
with  gay ly- colored  flags  and  streamers  spread  to  the 
breeze,  rises  a  group  of  ancient  buildings  on  the  rocky 
eminence  called  the  Domberg,  comprising  the  castle,  the 
residences  of  the  governor  and  commandant,  and  various 
palaces  and  quarters  of  the  nobility,  surrounded  by  Goth 
ic  walls  and  strong  fortifications.  This  ancient  and  pic 
turesque  pile  lias  been  termed  the  Acropolis  of  Revel, 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

though  beyond  the  fact  that  it  overlooks  the  lower  town 
and  forms  a  prominent  feature  in  the  scenic  beauties  of 
the  place,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  in  what  respect  it 
can  bear  a  comparison  with  the  famous  Acropolis  of 
Athens.  However,  I  have  observed  that  travelers  find 
it  convenient  to  discover  resemblances  of  this  kind 
where  none  exist,  as  a  means  of  rounding  off  their  de 
scriptions  ;  and  since  the  Kremlin  is  styled  the  Acropolis 
of  Moscow,  I  see  no  reason  why  Revel  should  not  enjoy 
the  same  sort  of  classic  association.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  when  Russian  travelers  visit  San  Francisco,  they 
will,  upon  the  principle  adopted  by  tourists  in  their 
country,  do  us  the  justice  to  designate  Russian  Hill  as 
the  Acropolis  of  San  Francisco;  and  should  they  visit 
Sacramento  during  the  existence  of  a  flood,  I  have  no 
doubt  they  can  find  a  pile  of  bricks  or  a  whisky  barrel 
sufficiently  elevated  above  the  general  level  to  merit  the 
distinctive  appellation  of  an  Acropolis.  Revel  has  suf 
fered  more  frequent  changes  of  government,  and  passed 
through  the  hands  of  a  greater  variety  of  rulers,  than 
any  city,  perhaps,  in  the  whole  of  Northern  Europe.  In 
the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  it  was  a  province 
of  Denmark ;  subsequently  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Swedes,  and  in  1347  became  a  possession  of  the  Livonian 
Knights,  a  chivalrous  and  warlike  order,  who  built  cas 
tles,  lived  in  a  style  of  great  luxuriance,  killed,  robbed, 
and  plundered  the  people  of  the  surrounding  countries, 
and  otherwise  distinguished  themselves  as  gentlemen  of 
the  first  families,  not  one  of  them  having  ever  been  known 
to  perform  a  day's  useful  labor  in  his  life.  Such,  indeed, 
was  the  heroic  character  of  these  doughty  knights,  that, 
h:\ving  plunged  the  whole  country  into  ruin  and  distress, 
the  peasants,  driven  to  desperation,  rose  upon  them  in 
1560,  and  completely  routed  and  destroyed  them,  killing 
many,  and  compelling  the  remainder  to  seek  some  other 
occupation.  This  was  rough  treatment  for  gentlemen, 
but  it  happens  from  time  to  time  in  the  course  of  his 
tory,  and  shows  to  what  trials  chivalrous  blood  is  ex- 


220  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

posed  when  it  can't  have  its  own  way.  Finally  Esthonia 
and  Livonia  fell  into  the  hands  of  Charles  II.  of  Sweden, 
from  whom  they  were  wrested  by  Peter  the  Great. 
Since  that  period  these  provinces  have  continued  under 
the  Russian  dominion.  From  the  time  of  Peter  to  the 
reign  of  the  present  emperor,  Revel  has  been  a  favorite 
summer  resort  of  the  Czars.  It  has  been  rebuilt,  patch 
ed,  fortified,  and  improved  to  such  an  extent  that  it  now 
represents  almost  every  style  of  architecture  known  in 
Northern  Europe  since  the  Middle  Ages.  The  people 
partake  of  the  same  characteristics,  being  a  mixture  of 
every  Northern  race  by  which  the  place  has  been  inhab 
ited  since  the  reign  of  Eric  XIV.  of  Denmark.  I  spent 
some  hours  visiting  the  churches  and  other  objects  of  in 
terest,  a  detailed  description  of  which  would  scarcely  be 
practicable  within  the  brief  limits  of  a  letter.  The  Rit- 
terschaftshaus,  containing  the  armorial  bearings  of  the 
nobility,  is  a  place  of  great  historical  interest ;  but  I  saw 
nothing  that  aiforded  me  so  much  amusement  as  the 
scenes  in  the  Jahrmarket,  where  the  annual  summer  fair 
is  held.  Here  were  booths  and  tents,  and  all  sorts  of 
wares,  much  in  the  style  of  the  markets  of  the  Riadi  in 
Moscow,  of  which  I  have  already  given  a  description. 
The  crowds  gathered  around  those  places  of  barter  and 
trade  appeared  to  enjoy  a  very  free-and-easy  sort  of  life. 
I  could  see  nothing  about  them  indicative  of  an  oppress 
ed  condition.  Most  of  them  were  reeling  drunk,  and 
such  as  were  not  drunk  seemed  in  a  fair  way  of  speedily 
arriving  at  that  condition  of  beatitude. 

From  the  Jahrmarket  I  strolled  out  to  the  Catherm- 
thal,  a  favorite  resort  of  the  citizens  during  the  heat  of 
the  day.  The  shady  promenades  of  this  magnificent 
garden,  its  natural  beauties,  and  the  display  of  equipages 
and  costumes,  render  it  an  exceedingly  agreeable  loung- 
ing-place  for  a  stranger.  Every  thing  is  in  the  Russian 
style — the  pavilions,  the  music,  the  theatrical  exhibitions, 
and  the  predominance  of  naval  and  military  uniforms 
throughout  the  grounds.  The  scarcity  of  flowers  is 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  221 

remedied  to  some  extent  by  the  profusion  of  epaulettes 
and  brass  buttons,  which  the  emperor  seems  to  regard 
as  superior  to  any  thing  in  nature.  No  garden  that  I 
have  yet  seen  in  Russia  is  destitute  of  ornaments  of  this 
kind. 

Gambling  was  going  on  every  where — at  every  tea- 
table  and  in  every  pavilion.  This  department  of  civiliza 
tion  is  well  represented  in  Revel  by  the  Russians.  Horse- 
racing,  cards,  dominoes,  and  other  amusements  and  games 
of  hazard,  are  their  ruling  passion.  A  Russian  who  will 
not  bet  his  head  after  he  has  lost  all  his  valuable  posses 
sions  must  be  a  very  poor  representative  of  his  country 
indeed.  I  have  rarely  seen  such  a  passionate  devotion 
to  the  garn ing-table,  even  in  California,  which  is  not  usu 
ally  behind  the  nations  of  Europe  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  human  mind.  Revel  must  be  a 
heaven  to  a  genuine  Russian.  All  is  free  and  unreserved, 
and  morals  are  said  to  be  unknown,  save  to  a  few  of  the 
old-fashioned  citizens  and  gentry.  Visitors  usually  leave 
their  own  behind  them,  and  depend  upon  chance  for  a 
fresh  supply  in  case  of  necessity. 

The  afternoon  was  warm,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  a 
stroll  on  the  beach  would  be  pleasant.  Accompanied  by 
my  friend  the  horse-jockey,  who  seemed  determined  to 
hold  on  to  me  as  long  as  I  remained  in  Revel,  under  the 
conviction,  no  doubt,  that  I  was  secretly  engaged  in  the 
horse  business,  and  would  come  out  in  my  true  character 
before  long,  I  sauntered  down  in  the  direction  of  some 
bathing  tents,  scattered  along  the  beach  a  little  below 
the  port.  My  jockey  friend  was  continually  trying  to 
pump  out  of  me  upon,  which  of  the  horses  in  the  ap 
proaching  race  it  was  my  intention  to  bet,  urging  me 
as  a  friend  not  to  throw  away  my  money  on  the  roan  or 
chestnut,  although  appearances  were  in  their  favor,  but 
to  go  in  heavy  on  the  black  mare ;  and  notwithstanding 
I  assured  him  it  was  not  my  intention  to  risk  any  por 
tion  of  my  capital  on  this  race,  he  was  pertinacious  in 
giving  me  his  advice,  and  could  not  be  convinced  that  I 


222  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

knew  nothing  about  the  horses,  and  never  bet  on  races 
of  any  kind.  "Sare,"  said  he,  "you  are  a  stranger. 
These  Russians  are  great  rascals.  They  will  cheat  you 
out  of  your  eyes.  I  speakee  English.  I  am  your  friend." 
I  thanked  him  very  cordially',  but  assured  him  there  was 
no  danger  of  my  being  cheated.  He  then  went  into  a 
dissertation  on  the  relative  merits  of  the  horses,  to  prove 
that  it  was  impossible  for  me,  a  perfect  stranger,  to  es 
cape  bankruptcy  among  so  many  sharpers.  "  But,"  said 
I,  "the  horse-race  takes  place  to-morrow,  does  it  not?" 
"Yes,  sare,  to-morrow  at  three  o'clock!  You  will  be 
there?  I  shall  also  be  there!"  "But,  my  good  friend, 
I  leave  to-night  in  the  steamer ;  therefore  all  your  kind 
ness  is  thrown  away !"  "  Oh !  you  must  not  leave  to 
night.  You  must  see  the  horse-race !"  In  vain  I  as 
sured  him  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  remain.  He  was 
not  to  be  put  off  on  any  pretext,  and,  having  made  up 
his  mind  that  I  must  remain,  I  was  forced  to  drop  the 
subject  and  let  him  have  his  way.  While  he  was  en 
larging  upon  the  merits  of  the  black  mare,  my  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  group  of  bathers — ladies,  as  I  judged 
by  their  voices,  though,  as  they  were  dressed  in  rather 
a  fantastic  style,  I  could  not  perceive  any  other  indica 
tion  of  the  sex.  One  of  the  party — a  lively  young  girl 
of  sixteen  or  seventeen — seemed  to  be  a  perfect  mer 
maid.  She  plunged  and  swam,  ducked  and  dived,  kick 
ed  up  her  delicate  little  feet,  and  disappeared  under  the 
surf  in  a  way  that  struck  me  with  awe  and  admiration. 
Never  was  there  such  an  enchanting  picture  of  perfect 
abandonment  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  occasion.  A  po 
etic  feeling  took  possession  of  me.  Visions  of  grottoes 
under  the  deep  sea  waves,  and  beautiful  princesses  and 
maidens,  filled  my  soul.  I  thought  of  Gulnare  in  the 
Arabian  Nights,  and  felt  disposed,  like  Mirza,  the  King 
of  Persia,  to  "  embrace  her  with  great  tenderness."  It 
was  really  a  very  pretty  sight.  "  Sare,"  said  my  com 
panion,  confidentially,  "  take  my  advice.  She  is  blind  of 
one  eye,  and  has  a  strain  in  the  fore  leg,  but  you  may 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  223 

bet  on  her!  I  jockeyed  her  for  six  months  before  the 
last  race."  He  was  still  talking  about  the  black  mare. 
I  turned  away  to  hide  my  impatience.  After  a  few 
words  of  desultory  conversation,  I  excused  myself  on 
the  plea  of  sickness,  and  bade  him  good-evening. 

At  8  P.M.  I  took  my  departure  from  Revel.  A  new 
batch  of  passengers  had  come  on  board.  We  were  soon 
steaming  our  way  across  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  I  had 
rarely  spent  a  more  pleasant  day,  and,  if  time  had  per 
mitted,  would  gladly  have  prolonged  my  sojourn  in  the 
quaint  old  city  of  Revel.  The  summer  nights  were  still 
incomparably  beautiful.  A  glow  of  sunshine  was  visible 
in  the  sky  as  late  as  eleven  o'clock.  At  two,  the  rays  of 
the  rising  sun  began  to  illuminate  the  horizon.  A  dead 
calm  gave  to  the  sleeping  waters  of  the  Gulf  the  appear 
ance  of  a  lake;  and  as  we  approached  the  shores  ofHel- 
singfors,  the  illusion  was  heightened  by  innumerable 
little  islands,  clothed  with  verdant  slopes  of  grass  and 
groves  of  pine.  The  harbor  of  Helsingfors  derives  a  pe 
culiar  interest  from  its  system  of  fortifications.  Xature 
seems  to  have  done  much  to  render  it  impregnable ;  'and 
what  Nature  has  not  done  has  been  accomplished  by  the 
military  genius  of  the  Russians.  Immense  masses  of 
rock  rise  from  the  water  in  every  direction,  leaving  deep 
narrow  passages  between  for  vessels.  Every  rock  is  a 
fortress.  The  steamer  passed  through  a  perfect  maze 
of  fortifications.  Guns  bore  upon  us  from  all  sides — out 
of  the  forts,  out  of  holes  in  the  rocks — in  short,  out  of 
every  conceivable  nook  and  crevice  in  the  bay.  The 
very  rocks  seemed  to  be  alive  with  sentinels  and  to  bus 
tle  with  armories.  Probably  there  is  no  part  of  the 
Russian  dominions,  except  Cronstadt,  more  thoroughly 
fortified  than  Sweaborg.  The  system  of  engineering 
displayed  upon  this  point  evinces  the  highest  order  of 
military  genius.  The  fortifications  embrace  a  series  of 
forts,  castles,  barracks,  and  military  establishments  of 
various  kinds.,  situated  on  seven  islands  of  solid  rock, 
forming  the  different  channels  of  approach  to  the  har- 


224  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

bor.  Count  Ehrcnsuerd,  Field-marshal  of  Sweden,  is 
entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  devised  the  original  sys 
tem  of  fortifications,  afterward  so  successfully  carried 
out  by  the  Czars  of  Russia.  This  was  the  last  rallying- 
point  of  the  Swedes  during  the  war  with  Russia.  In 
1808,  Admiral  Cronstadt,  the  commander  of  the  Swedish 
forces,  who  had  hitherto  proved  himself  a  brave  and  pat 
riotic  officer,  submitted  to  terms  of  capitulation  and  de 
livered  over  the  forts  to  the  Russians.  History  scarcely 
furnishes  a  parallel  to  such  a  wanton  and  unaccountable 
act  of  treachery.  Cronstadt  had  fifteen  hundred  men, 
two  frigates,  and  all  the  munitions  of  war  to  hold  his 
position  against  any  force  that  could  be  brought  against 
him ;  while  the  Russians  were  reduced  to  great  extrem 
ities,  and,  it  is  said,  had  scarcely  force  enough  left  to 
man  the  forts  after  they  were  evacuated  by  the  Swedes. 
Sufficient  testimony  has  been  gathered  by  historians  to 
show  that  Cronstadt  bartered  his  honor  for  money ;  yet, 
strange  to  say,  such  is  the  high  estimation  in  which  he 
was  originally  held  by  the  Swedes,  that  many  of  them 
to  this  day  profess  to  disbelieve  that  he  was  capable  of 
such  an  infamous  crime.  It  is  thought  by  some  that  he 
must  have  been  laboring  under  some  mental  hallucina 
tion  at  the  time  of  the  capitulation.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
the  success  of  the  Russian  arms  was  doubtless  greatly 
facilitated  by  this  act  of  treason.  Cronstadt,  like  Bene 
dict  Arnold,  died  an  isolated  and  broken-hearted  man. 
His  ill-gotten  gains  were  but  a  poor  recompense  for  the 
infamy  entailed  upon  his  name.  Such,  indeed,  as  all  his 
tory  shows,  has  been  and  must  ever  be  the  fate  of  all 
traitors  to  their  country. 

Helsingfors  was  founded  by  Gustavus  Vasa  in  the  six 
teenth  century.  A  portion  of  the  old  town  is  still  visi 
ble,  though  there  is  little  about  it  beyond  a  few  ruined 
walls  possessing  much  historical  interest.  After  the 
Russians  obtained  possession  they  enlarged  and  im 
proved  the  city  upon  its  present  site,  and  in  1819  it  be 
came  the  capital  of  Finland.  In  1827  Abo  suflered  from 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  225 

a  general  conflagration,  after  which  the  grand  University 
of  that  city  was  removed  to  Helsingfors,  which  now 
comprises  the  most  important  public  buildings  and  insti 
tutions  in  Finland.  Among  these  are  the  senate-house, 
the  palace  of  the  governor,  the  Museum,  the  Botanical 
Garden,  the  Observatory,  etc.  The  streets  in  the  lower 
parts  of  the  city  are  broad  and  regular,  and  many  of  the 
houses  are  quite  as  good  as  the  generality  of  private  res 
idences  in  Moscow  or  St.  Petersburg.  The  principal 
church,  which  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  is  a 
conspicuous  and  imposing  edifice,  standing  near  the  cen 
tre  of  the  town  on  a  rocky  eminence,  presenting  on  the 
approach  up  the  harbor  a  peculiarly  Russian  effect  with 
its  gilded  domes  and  crosses.  The  green  roofs  of  the 
houses  also  remind  onelhat  he  is  still  within  the  domin 
ions  of  Russia;  and  if  any  doubt  on  that  point  should 
remain  after  landing  from  the  steamer,  it  is  speedily  dis 
pelled  by  the  vast  numbers  of  Russian  soldiers  and  offi 
cers  constantly  marching  about  the  streets. 

I  had  two  days  to  devote  to  the  objects  of  interest  in 
and  around  Helsingfors.  For  convenience  and  economy, 
I  took  a  room  in  a  Finnish  hotel,  on  one  of  the  back 
streets.  Having  deposited  my  knapsack,  my  first  visit 
was  to  the  Observatory,  from  which  a  beautiful  view  is 
to  be  had  of  the  harbor  and  fortifications.  From  this 
point  of  observation  a  very  good  idea  may  be  formed  of 
the  extent  and  general  character  of  the  town.  It  covers 
a  large  area  of  solid  rocks,  the  entire  foundation  consist 
ing  of  immense  round  boulders,  forming  a  succession  of 
ups  and  downs  singularly  varied  in  outline  and  pictur 
esque  at  every  point  of  view.  Beyond  the  main  part  of 
the  town,  toward  the  interior,  the  country  is  mountain 
ous,  and  covered  for  the  most  part  with  dense  forests  of 
pine.  Cultivation  has  made  but  little  progress  beyond 
the  immediate  suburbs.  A  few.  miles  from  the  waters 
of  the  bay  the  eye  rests  upon  an  apparently  untrodden 
wilderness  of  rocky  heights  and  pine  forests,  and  toward 
the  Gulf  nothing  can  exceed  the  desolate  grandeur  of  the 

K  2 


2-JG  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

scene.  Rock-bound  islands,  upon  which  the  surf  breaks 
with  an  unceasing  moan ;  points  and  promontories  cov 
ered  with  dark  forests ;  a  rugged  coast,  dimly  looming 
through  the  mist;  innumerable  sea-gulls  whirling  and 
screaming  over  the  dizzy  pinnacles,  are  its  principal  feat 
ures.  While  I  was  seated  on  a  bank  of  moss  near  the 
Observatory,  enjoying  the  beauties  of  the  scene,  strains 
of  music  were  wafted  up  on  the  breeze  from  the  shady 
recesses  of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  toward  which  I  saw 
that  the  citizens  were  wending  their  way.  It  was  Sun 
day,  which  here  as  well  as  in  Germany  is  a  day  of  recre 
ation.  I  took  a  by-path  and  speedily  joined  the  crowd. 
The  people  of  every  degree  are  well  dressed  and  respect 
able,  and  I  was  somewhat  surprised  to  find  so  much  po 
liteness,  cultivation,  and  intelligence  in  such  an  out-of- 
the-way  part  of  the  world.  The  music  was  excellent, 
and  the  display  of  style  and  fashion  in  the  gardens  was 
quite  equal  to  any  thing  I  had  seen  in  my  European 
travels.  From  what  little  I  saw  of  the  Finns,  I  was 
greatly  prepossessed  in  their  favor.  They  seem  to  me 
to  be  a  primitive,  substantial,  and  reliable  race,  strong 
in  their  affections,  kind  and  hospitable  toward  strangers, 
amiable  and  inoffensive,  yet  brave  and  patriotic — hating 
the  Russians  with  a  cordiality  truly  refreshing.  I  form 
ed  a  casual  acquaintance  with  several  of  them  during  my 
rambles  about  the  Garden.  No  sooner  did  they  discern 
my  nationality  than  they  gave  me  to  understand  that 
their  Constitution  had  been  violated,  their  liberties 
trampled  under  foot,  their  rights  disregarded,  and  their 
patience  under  all  these  injuries  misconstrued.  "We 
only  await  an  opportunity,"  they  said,  "  to  prove  to  the 
world  that  we  are  still  a  free-born  people.  The  time  is 
not  distant.  In  the  heart  of  every  Finn  burns  the  spirit 
of  a  freeman  and  a  patriot !  We  are  not  a,  race  doomed 
to  slavery.  You  who  are  an  American  can  understand 
us !  We  only  want  a  chance  to  cast  off  the  chains  of 
despotism  which  now  oppress  us.  It  is  coming:  wo  nro 
overpowered  un\v,  but  not  conquered  !  We  hate  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  227 

Russians !     No  true  Finn  can   ever  amalgamate  with 
such  a  race !" 

This  was  the  strain  in  which  I  was  constantly  address 
ed.  Notwithstanding  the  electoral  privileges  guaran 
teed  to  the  Finns  under  their  Constitution,  and  the  fact 
that  many  of  the  municipal  offices  are  filled  by  them 
selves,  there  is  no  more  community  of  interest  between 
them  and  their  rulers  than  between  the  Italians  and  the 
Austrians.  Their  hatred  of  the  government  and  of  all 
its  concomitants  is  implacable.  It  seemed  a  luxury  to 
some  of  these  poor  people  to  find  a  sympathizing  listen 
er.  I  met  many  intelligent  Finns,  both  in  Helsingfors 
and  Abo,  who  spoke  good  English,  and  never  conversed 
with  one  for  five  minutes  without  hearing  the  same 
strong  expressions  of  dislike  to  the  present  condition  of 
affairs,  and  sanguine  hopes  for  the  future.  There  is  only 
hope  for  them,  that  I  can  see — that  the  emancipation  of 
the  serfs  may  lead  to  the  establishment  of  a  more  liberal 
system  of  government  throughout  the  Russian  domin 
ions.  All  hopes  based  upon  isolated  revolutions  are  fu 
tile. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A   BATHING   SCENE. 

I  DEVOTED  the  afternoon  to  a  stroll  on  the  sea-shore, 
which  presents  many  interesting  features  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Helsingfors.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
town,  as  already  stated,  is  built  upon  immense  boulders 
of  solid  rock,  and  some  of  the  streets  are  entirely  im 
practicable  for  wheeled  vehicles,  owing  to  the  rugged 
masses  of  stone  with  which  Nature  has  thought  proper 
to  pave*them.  Indeed,  it  is  no  easy  task  for  a  pedestrian 
to  make  his  way  through  the  suburbs,  over  the  tremen 
dous  slippery  boulders  that  lie  scattered  over  the  earth  in 
every  direction,  the  trail  being  in  some  instances  higher 
than  the  houses.  I  can  not  conceive  how  people  can 


228  THE  LAND  OF  THOB. 

travel  over  such  streets  in  wet  weather ;  it  seems  a  task 
only  fit  for  goats  under  favorable  circumstances ;  but  the 
Finns  are  an  ingenious  people,  and  probably  ride  on  the 
backs  of  the  goats  when  walking  is  impracticable.  Pass 
ing  the  straggling  lines  of  fishermen's  huts  forming  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  I  rambled  over  two  or  three  miles 
of  rocky  fields  till  I  found  myself  on  the  shores  of  the 
gulf,  at  a  point  sufficiently  lonesome  and  desolate  to  be  a 
thousand  miles  from  any  inhabited  portion  of  the  globe. 
Taking  possession  of  a  natural  chair,  worn  in  the  rocks 
by  the  rains  of  many  centuries,  I  seated  myself  upon  its 
mossy  cushion,  and,  baring  my  head  to  the  pleasant  sea- 
breeze,  quietly  enjoyed  the  scene.  Perhaps  this  very  seat 
was  the  throne  of  an  old  viking !  Here  were  sea-shells, 
and  glittering  pebbles,  and  tufts  of  moss  for  his  crown  : 
and  here  were  sea-gulls  to  make  music  for  him,  and  the 
spray  from  the  wild  waves  to  keep  him  cool;  and  a 
thousand  rock-bound  islands,  lying  outspread  to  the 
north,  with  grottoes  in  them  for  his  ships ;  and  piles  upon 
piles  of  rocky  palaces  all  around,  covered  with  golden 
roofs  of  moss ;  and  every  thing,  in  short,  that  could  make 
glad  the  heart  of  a  grim  old  viking  residing  on  the  edge 
of  the  arctic  circle.  And  if  this  summer  scene,  with  its 
blue  sea,  and  wood-capped  islands,  and  warm  sun,  and 
balmy  breeze,  could  not  make  glad  his  heart,  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  imagine  what  changes  winter  could 
bring  over  it,  and  how  the  old  viking,  sitting  on  his 
throne  by  the  sea-shore,  could  enjoy  the  dead  and  icy 
waste  before  him  ;  and  how  the  winter  drifts  would  whis 
tle  through  his  hair ;  and  how  cheery  the  jagged  rocks 
would  look  peeping  up  out  of  the  snow-drifts ;  and  how 
balmy  would  be  the  night-air  at  sixty  degrees  below 
freezing-point ;  and  how  the  old  viking  would  shake  his 
beard  with  laughter  as  he  warmed  his  hands  in%  mid 
day  sun,  only  ten  feet  above  the  horizon,  and  make  tho 
icicles  rattle  on  his  chin  ;  and  sit  thus  laughing  and  blow 
ing  liis  fingers,  and  rattling  his  icy  beard,  and  saying  to 
himself,  "What  a  blessing  to  be  a  Finlander!  How  hor- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  229 

ribly  the  natives  of  Spain  and  Italy  must  suffer  from  bad 
climate!  What  a  pity  it  is  Finland  is  not  large  enough 
to  accommodate  the  whole  human  race."  With  such 
thoughts  as  these  I  amused  myself  for  some  time,  sooth 
ed  and  charmed  by  the  pleasant  sea-breeze  and  the  music 
of  the  waves  upon  the  rocks.  The  air  was  deliciously 
pure,  and  the  odor  of  the  sea-weeds  had  something  in  it 
so  healthful  and  inspiring  that  I  was  insensibly  carried 
back  to  by-gone  days.  How  short  a  time  it  seemed  since 
I  was  a  wanderer  upon  the  rock-bound  shores  of  Juan 
Fernandez,  yet  how  many  strange  scenes  I  had  passed 
through  since  then— how  much  of  the  world  I  had  seen, 
with  its  toils,  and  troubles,  and  vicissitudes!  Here  I 
was  now,  after  years  of  travel  in  every  clime,  among  the 
various  nations  of  the  earth,  sitting  solitary  and  alone 
upon  an  isolated  rock  on  the  shores  of  Finland !  Whith 
er  was  I  going?  What  was  the  object?  Where  was 
the  result  ?  Wrhen  was  it  to  end  ?  Years  were  creep 
ing  over  me ;  I  was  no  longer  in  the  heyday  of  youth, 
yet  the  vague  aspirations  of  boyhood  still  clung  to  me — 
the  insatiable  craving  to  see  more  and  more  of  the  world 
— the  undefined  hope  that  I  would  yet  live  to  be  cast 
away  upon  a  desolate  island,  and  become  a  worthy  disci 
ple  of  the  immortal  Robinson  Crusoe !  Ah  me !  What 
a  lonesome  feeling  it  is  to  be  a  visionary,  enthusiastic 
boy  all  one's  life,  in  this  practical  world  of  dollars  and 
cents,  where  other  boys  are  men,  and  men  forget  that 
they  ever  were  young !  But  this,  you  say,  is  all  senti 
mental  nonsense.  Of  course  it  is.  I  admit  the  full  folly 
of  such  thoughts.  It  would  be  a  pitiable  spectacle  in 
deed  to  see  every  body  inspired  by  the  vagabond  spirit 
of  Robinson  Crusoe.  No  doubt,  if  you  were  sitting  upon 
a  rock  on  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  my  respected  Californian 
friend,  you  would  be  hammering  off  the  croppings  and 
trying  to  discover  the  indications.  You  consider  that 
the  true  philosophy  of  life — to  dig,  and  delve,  and  bur 
row  in  the  ground,  and  get  gold  and  silver  out  of  it,  and 
suffer  rheumatism  in  your  bones  and  cramps  in  your 


230  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

stomach,  and  wear  out  your  life  in  a  practical  way,  while 
we  visionaries  are  dreaming  sentimental  nonsense !  But, 
after  all,  does  the  one  pay  any  better  than  the  other  in 
the  long  run  ?  "Will  gold  or  silver  make  you  see  farther 
into  a  millstone,  or  give  you  a  better  appetite,  or  put 
youth  and  health  into  your  veins,  or  cause  you  to  sleep 
more  soundly  of  nights,  or  prolong  your  life  to  an  indefi 
nite  period  beyond  the  span  allotted  to  the  average  of 
mankind  ?  Will  you  never  be  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
these  inspired  words,  which  can  not  be  repeated  too  oft 
en  :  As  you  brought  nothing  into  the  world,  so  you  can 
take  nothing  out  of  it  ? 

Come,  then,  let  us  be  young  again,  and  dash  into  the 
blue  waters  of  Finland,  and  buffet  the  sparkling  brine  as 
it  seethes  and  boils  over  the  rocks!  Away  with  your 
gold  and  your  silver,  and  your  toils  and  cares,  and  let  us 
play  Robinson  Crusoe  and  Friday  here  in  this  solitary 
little  glen,  where  "our  right  there  is  none  to  dispute"- 
unless  it  may  be  the  Czar  of  Russia.  Off  with  your  shirt, 
your  boots,  your  drawers,  your  all,  and  be  for  once  a  gen 
uine  savage — be  my  man  Friday,  and  I'll  teach  you  how 
to  enjoy  life.  Ye  gods !  doesn't  it  feel  fine — that  plunge 
in  the  foaming  brine !  Why,  you  look  like  a  boiled  lob 
ster  already ;  the  glow  of  health  is  all  over  you ;  your 
eyes  sparkle,  your  skin  glistens ;  you  shoot  out  the  salt 
sea-spray  from  your  nostrils  in  a  manner  that  would  sur 
prise  any  porpoise ;  you  whoop  and  you  yell  like  a  young 
devil  let  loose !  Never  in  the  world  would  I  take  you 
to  be  a  hard,  money-making,  lucre-loving  man !  Why, 
my  dear  Friday,  you  are  a  perfect  jewel  of  a  savage !  I 
didn't  know  it  was  you,  and  doubt  if  you  knew  it  your 
self!  Isn't  it  glorious?  I  feel  a  thousand  years  youn 
ger  !  Don't  you  hear  me  singing, 

"  Oh,  poor  "Robinson  Crusoe ! 

Tinky  ting  tang,  tinky  tins  *nng, 
Oh,  poor  Robinson  Crusoe  !" 

But  the  water  is  rather  fresh — considering  how  much 
salt  thorp  is  in  it.  We  had  better  take  a  race  over  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  ,  231 

rocks.  Run,  Friday,  for  your  life.  If  I  catch  you,  over 
board  you  go  into  the  sea  again.  Run,  you  savage,  run  ! 
Voices  ?  you  say,  human  voices  ? 

Great  heavens !  Where  are  you,  Friday  ?  Gone !  dis 
appeared  behind  that  projecting  ledge  of  rocks.  And 
here  am  I,  all  alone,  up  to  my  arm-pits  in  the  water,  with 
a  group  of  Finnish  ladies  standing  there,  not  a  hundred 
yards  off,  looking  at  me ! — ay,  gazing  steadfastly  at  me, 
and,  what  is  worse,  splitting  their  sides  laughing  at  my 
confusion  !  What  in  the  world  is  to  be  done  ?  The  wa 
ter  seems  to  be  growing  colder  and  colder.  I  am  chilled 
through.  My  jaws  begin  to  chatter.  Suppose  a  shark 
should  seize  me  by  the  leg — or  a  sudden  and  violent 
cramp  should  take  possession  of  me?  My  gracious! 
what  are  those  women  doing  now?  Actually  seating 
themselves  on  the  rocks,  within  ten  steps  of  my  clothes, 
and  spreading  several  packages  of  bread,  cheese,  and 
cakes  around  them !  They  are  going  to  enjoy  a  picnic 
while  I  enjoy  my  bath !  I  hear  their  merry  voices ;  I 
can  imagine  the  general  drift  of  their  jokes.  How  inno 
cently  they  eat,  and  drink,  and  laugh.  Possibly  they 
take  me  for  a  seal  or  a  walrus !  Certainly  nothing  is  vis 
ible  but  my  head,  on  the  crown  of  which,!  regret  to  say, 
is  a  bald  spot  about  the  size  of  your  hand.  It  may  be 
very  funny  to  see  it  dodging  up  and  down  among  the 
breakers — but  I  can't  stand  it  much  longer.  Already 
the  spray  has  wellnigh  strangled  me;  I  shiver  all  over; 
a  horrible  presentiment  is  uppermost  in  my  mind  that 
polypi,  and  sea-leeches,  and  shiny  jelly-fish  are  fastening 
their  suckers  upon  my  legs ;  I  jump,  and  kick,  and  plunge 
in  an  agony  of  apprehension,  while  those  fair  creatures 
on  the  rock  imagine,  no  doubt,  that  I  am  disporting  my 
self  in  sheer  exuberance  of  joy.  If  they  only  knew  that 
I  had  been  full  half  an  hour  in  the  water  before  they  ap 
peared,  there  might  be  some  hope  of  a  release;  but  that 
does  not  seem  to  have  entered  their  heads. 

Never  in  all  my  experience,  reader,  was  I  yi  such  a 
predicameTit.  This  is  no  fancy  sketch.  It  is  true,  every 


232  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

word  of  it.  Had  the  picnickers  been  old  ladies,  I  might 
have  shut  my  eyes,  and  made  a  break  out  of  the  water 
for  my  clothes ;  but  three  of  them,  at  least,  were  young, 
and,  worse  than  that,  very  pretty !  The  courage  for  so 
daring  and  monstrous  an  act  was  not  in  me.  I  felt  that 
it  would  be  easier  to  die ;  and  yet  to  die  in  this  way  is 
pretty  hard  when  it  comes- to  a  practical  test.  What  the 
deuce  was  to  be  done?  I  could  not  speak  a  word  of 
Finnish,  otherwise  I  might  have  implored  them  to  retire 
a  few  hundred  yards  and  let  me  get  my  clothes.  With 
a  shirt,  or  even  a  pocket-handkerchief,  I  might  have 
charged  upon  the  enemy ;  but  I  had  nothing — not  even 
a  hat — as  a  shield  against  the  battery  of  sparkling  eyes 
that  bore  down  upon  me !  A  thousand  expedients  flash 
ed  through  my  mind  in  the  extremity  of  my  sufferings. 
I  would  slip  out  of  the  water  on  all-fours,  and  creep  over 
the  rocks  like  a  seal,  but  that  would  be  an  extremely  un 
graceful  way  of  approaching  a  bevy  of  strange  ladies. 
Then  it  occurred  to  me  if  I  could  get  hold  of  a  bunch  of 
sea-weeds,  it  might  serve  as  a  temporary  substitute  for  a 
costume ;  but  the  weeds  had  all  drifted  away  by  this 
time,  and  not  a  patch  was  in  sight.  Even  a  large  oyster- 
shell  might  have  afforded  some  assistance ;  but  who  ever 
heard  of  oyster-shells  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland?  Nothing 
remained  save  to  dive  down  and  seize  a  big  rock,  detach 
it  from  the  bottom,  and,  holding  it  up  before  me,  make 
a  break  for  the  pile  of  clothes ;  yet  when  I  came  to  con 
sider  the  preposterous  spectacle  that  a  middle-aged  man 
would  present  in  a  state  of  nudity  charging  full  tilt  upon 
a  party  of  ladies,  with  a  big  rock  in  his  hands  and  a 
gleam  of  desperation  in  his  eye,  the  idea  seemed  too 
monstrous  to  be  entertained,  and  I  was  forced  to  give  it 
up.  The  difficulty  was  becoming  really  serious.  Doubt 
less  it  appears  very  funny  to  my  California  friends,  but 
I  can  assure  them  it  was  pretty  near  death  to  me.  I 
would  have  given  ten  dollars  for  the  poorest  cotton  shirt 
that  was  ever  dealt  out  by  an  Indian  agent  to  a  Reser 
vation  Di.irgcr;  nay,  transparent  as  the  blnnkets  are,  T 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  233 

might  have  made  one  serve  my  purpose  by  doubling  it 
three  or  four  times  and  holding  it  up  in  front. 

All  this,  however,  though  very  well  in  its  way,  did  not 
relieve  me  from  my  embarrassing  predicament.  Some 
thing  must  be  done,  and  that  very  speedily.  I  was  rap 
idly  wilting  under  the  chilling  influence  of  the  water. 
Ten  minutes  more  would  render  me  a  fit  subject  for  a 
coroner's  inquest.  I  saw  but  one  alternative :  to  work 
my  course  a  few  hundred  yards  up  the  shore,  and  then 
creep  out  the  best  way  I  could,  and  run  for  my  life  till  I 
found  some  friendly  nook  among  the  rocks  in  which  I 
could  conceal  myself  till  these  fair  Finns  took  a  notion  to 
depart. 

Acting  upon  this  idea,  I  ducked  down  as  low  as  possi 
ble,  and  crept  over  the  jagged  and  slippery  rocks,  in  mor 
tal  dread  all  the  time  that  some  receding  wave  would 
leave  me  a  dripping  spectacle  for  these  fair  damsels  to 
laugh  at ;  till,  bruised  and  scarified  beyond  farther  en 
durance,  I  worked  my  way  to  a  landing-place,  where  I 
paused  in  a  recumbent  position  —  that  is  to  say,  on  all- 
fours — to  take  an  observation.  They  must  have  perceived 
something  ludicrous  in  my  attitude.  A  wild  scream  of 
laughter  saluted  my  ears.  I  could  stand  no  more.  What 
little  warmth  was  left  in  my  blood  forced  itself  into  my 
head  and  face  as  I  sprang  to  my  feet.  With  a  groan  of 
shame  and  mortification,  I  took  to  my  heels ;  and  never 
before,  so  help  me  Jupiter !  did  I  run  so  fast  in  my  life. 
Scream  after  scream  of  laughter  followed  me!  It  is  im 
possible  for  me  to  conjecture  how  I  looked,  but  I  felt 
dreadfully  destitute  of  sail  as  I  scudded  over  the  rough 
pathway  that  wound  around  the  shore.  Blushing,  pant 
ing,  and  utterly  overwhelmed  with  conflicting  emotions 
of  modesty  and  despair,  I  darted  behind  the  friendly  shel 
ter  of  a  rock,  and  inwardly  resolved  that  if  ever  I  went 
bathing  in  Finland  again,  I  would  at  least  perform  my 
ablutions  in  a  more  appropriate  costume  than  Nature 
had  bestowed  upon  me. 

The  next  question  was,  how  long  were  these  people 


L>34  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

going  to  enjoy  themselves  at  ray  expense  ?  Was  I  to 
be  blockaded  from  my  clothes  all  the  rest  of  the  after 
noon  ?  I  could  not,  upon  any  principle  of  international 
law,  undertake  to  break  the  blockade  on  the  ground  that 
it  was  not  effectual,  and  yet  it  was  pretty  hard  to  do 
without  my  cotton.  What  I  had  suffered  from  the  cold 
while  in  the  water  was  nothing  to  what  I  now  began  to 
experience  from  the  unobstructed  rays  of  the  sun.  My 
skin  was  rapidly  assuming  every  variety  of  color  sup 
posed  to  exist  in  the  rainbow,  and  a  painful  conscious 
ness  possessed  me  that  in  half  an  hour  more  I  would  be 
blistered  from  head  to  foot.  There  was  no  shade  on  my 
side  of  the  rock,  and  nothing  any  where  in  sight  that 
could  afford  the  least  protection.  Racked  with  renewed 
anguish,  I  peeped  out  to  see  if  there  was  any  earthly 
prospect  of  reaching  my  clothes.  Horror  upon  horror ! 
what  were  they  doing  now?  Did  my  eyes  deceive  me? 
As  sure  as  fate,  they  were  all  quietly  undressing  them 
selves  !  Hats,  scarfs,  parasols,  and  dresses  were  scatter 
ed  all  around  them ;  there  they  sat,  on  the  moss-covered 
rocks,  their  alabaster  necks  and  limbs  glistening  in  the 
sun,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  bevy  of  mermaids, 
laughing  and  chattering  in  the  highest  glee,  perfectly  in 
different  to  my  presence !  I  saw  no  more.  A  dizziness 
came  over  me.  Consternation  seized  my  inmost  soul. 
Drawing  back  behind  the  rock,  I  held  my  face  close  up 
to  it  and  shut  both  my  eyes.  Don't  talk  to  me  about 
courage !  Every  man  is  a  coward  by  nature.  Of  what 
avail  was  it  that  I  had  killed  whales  and  chased  grizzly 
bears?  Here  I  was  now,  hiding  my  face,  shutting  my 
eyes,  trembling  in  the  hot  sun  like  a  man  with  an  ague, 
both  knees  knocking  together,  and  my  heart  ready  to 
pop  out  of  my  mouth  from  abject  fear!  Strange — 
wasn't  it? — especially  after  having  made  the  grand  tour 
of  Europe,  in  many  parts  of  which  live  men  and  women 
are  ranked  with  statuary.  What  harm  is  there,  after  all, 
in  discarding  those  artificial  trappings  which  disfigure 
tho  human  form  divine?  Many  a  man  who  looks  liko 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  235 

an  Apollo  Belvidere  in  his  natural  condition,  becomes  a 
very  commonplace  fellow  the  moment  he  steps  into  his 
conventional  disguise.  He  is  no  longer  heroic ;  he  may 
be  a  very  vulgar-looking  mortal,  not  at  all  calculated  to 
produce  classical  impressions  on  any  body.  His  form 
divine  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  tailor,  who  may  be 
neither  an  artist  or  a  poet.  And  since  we  can  admire 
an  Apollo  Belvidere,  why  not  a  Venus  de  Medici,  or, 
still  more,  the  living,  breathing  impersonation  of  beauty 
buffeting  the  waves  with 

"Shapely  limb  and  lubricated  joint." 

But,  hang  it  all !  though  not  an  ill-shaped  man,  I  don't 
flatter  myself  there  was  any  thing  in  my  personal  appear 
ance,  as  I  crouched  behind  the  rock,  shutting  both  eyes 
as  hard  as  I  could,  to  remind  the  most  enthusiastic  artist 
*of  the  Apollo  Belvidere !  Nay,  the  gifted  Hawthorne 
himself  could  scarcely  have  made  a  Marble  Faun  out  of 
so  unpromising  a  subject.  And  as  for  the  fair  bathers, 
who  by  this  time  were  plunging  about  in  the  water  like 
naiads,  it  would  of  course  be  impossible  for  me  to  say 
how  far  they  were  improved  by  lack  of  costume,  since  I 
looked  in  another  direction,  and  kept  my  eyes  faithfully 
closed  from  the  very  beginning.  The  question  now  oc 
curred  to  me,  Would  I  not  be  justified  by  the  law  of  na 
tions  in  breaking  the  blockade?  It  was  now  or  never. 
If  they  once  commenced  dressing,  farewell  to  hope ! 
Well,  I  did  it.  Heaven  only  knows  how  I  got  through 
the  terrible  ordeal.  I  only  remember  that  desperation 
gave  strength  and  speed  to  my  limbs,  and  I  ran  with  in 
credible  velocity.  A  moment  of  terrible  confusion  en 
sued  as  I  grasped  at  my  scattered  habiliments.  There 
came  a  scream  of  laughter  from  the  wicked  naiads  who 
were  sporting  in  the  waves.  I  fled  over  the  hills — my 
bundle  in  my  arms — and  never  once  stopped  till  I  reach 
ed  a  small  valley  about  half  a  mile  distant.  Breathless, 
mortified,  and  bewildered  at  the  oddity  of  the  adventure, 
I  hurriedly  dressed,  and  walked  back  to  town.  Arrived 
at  my  hotel,  I  called  for  a  bottle  of  schnapps,  retired  to 


2;3G  THE  LAND  OF  THOR 


my  room,  locked  the  door,  and  fervently  ejaculated, 
'"All's  well  that  ends  well!'  Here's  to  the  ladies  of 
Helsingfors  !  But  if  ever  you  catch  me  in  such  a  scrape 
again,  my  name's  not  Browne  !" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ABO — FINLAND. 

I  WAS  strongly  inclined  to  spend  several  weeks  in  Hel 
singfors.  The  bathing  is  delightful,  and  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  are  primitive  and  interesting.  My 
adventure  on  the  sea-shore,  as  I  soon  discovered,  was 
nothing  uncommon.  I  mentioned  the  matter  to  my  land 
lady — a  Finnish  woman  of  very  sociable  manners,  who 
spoke  a  little  English.  I  asked  her  if  it  was  customary 
for  the  ladies  to  dispense  with  bathing-dresses.  She  said 
they  generally  wore  something  when  they  bathed  in  pub 
lic,  but  beyond  the  limits  of  the  regular  bath-houses,  at 
the  end  of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  they  seldom  troubled 
themselves  about  matters  of  that  kind  ;  in  fact,  they  pre 
ferred  going  in  without  any  obstruction,  because  "  they 
could  swim  so  much  better." 

Having  procured  my  passport  at  the  Bureau  of  the 
Police,  I  took  passage  in  a  Swedish  steamer  bound  for 
Abo  and  Stockholm.  Next  morning  by  daylight  the 
steamer  arrived  from  St.  Petersburg.  I  went  on  board, 
and  in  a  few  hours  more  the  fortifications  of  Sweaborg 
were  dim  in  the  distance. 

The  accommodations  on  board  the  Swedish  steamers 
are  excellent.  I  took  passage  in  the  second  cabin,  for  the 
sake  of  economy,  and  found  every  thing  as  clean  and 
comfortable  as  I  could  desire.  The  waiters  are  polite 
and  attentive,  the  fare  is  good,  and  the  company  quiet 
and  respectable.  The  difference  in  this  respect  is  very 
striking  between  first  and  second  class  passengers  on 
board  of  American  and  Swedish  steamers.  In  the  latter 
there  is  no  rowdyism — no  incivility  from  officers  or  serv- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  237 

ants ;  and,  so  far  as  the  passengers  are  concerned,  I 
could  not  perceive  that  they  were  debarred  from  any  of 
the  privileges  enjoyed  by  passengers  of  the  first  class. 
They  had  the  entire  range  of  the  vessel,  and  were  treat 
ed  with  the  same  respect  and  consideration  shown  to 
others  who  possessed  the  means  of  indulgence  in  a  little 
more  style.  I  have  been  particularly  pleased  with  this 
trait  in  the  management  of  public  conveyances  through 
out  Europe.  In  Sweden  and  Norway  it  is  especially 
characteristic.  The  commonest  deck-passenger  on  board 
a  Swedish  or  Norwegian  steamer  is  treated  with  cour 
tesy.  Indeed,  I  have  seen  instances  of  care  and  tender 
ness  toward  the  poorer  classes,  whose  circumstances 
compelled  them  to  travel  in  this  way,  that  I  regret  to 
say  would  excite  astonishment  in  our  own  democratic 
country.  I  can  scarcely  understand  why  it  is  that  the 
captain  and  officers  of  a  steam-ship  on  our  side  of  the 
water  consider  it  their  duty  to  harass  passengers  who 
do  not  pay  the  highest  price  with  all  sorts  of  vexatious 
restrictions,  and  to  render  their  condition  as  uncomfort 
able  as  posiible.  To  be  overbearing,  insolent,  and  un- 
gentlemanly  seems  to  be  the  only  aim  of  these  important 
functionaries,  and,  so  far  as  my  experience  goes,  they  suc 
ceed  so  well  in  this  respect  that  if  they  do  not  actually 
prove  themselves  brutes  and  blackguards  during  the  pas 
sage,  they  are  usually  rewarded  for  their  forbearance,  on 
reaching  the  port  of  destination,  by  a  card  of  thanks.  I 
have  seen  no  such  insolence  on  the  part  of  officers  and 
slavishness  on  that  of  passengers  on  board  of  any  Swed 
ish  or  Norwegian  steamer,  as  I  have  often  seen  on  the 
Panama  and  California  coast  steamers.  Yet  cards  of 
thanks  are  not  common  in  Europe.  In  fact,  they  would 
be  regarded  as  a  reflection  upon  the  officers  rather  than 
an  evidence  of  complimentary  appreciation. 

The  coast  of  Finland  from  Helsingfors  to  Abo  abounds 
in  small  rocky  islands,  covered,  for  the  most  part,  with  a 
stunted  growth  of  pine.  The  outline  of  the  main  land 
is  extremely  rugged  and  irregular,  presenting  a  succes- 


238  THE  LAND  OF  THOS. 

sion  of  promontories,  bays,  and  inlets,  weather-beaten 
cliffs  of  granite,  and  gloomy  pine  forests.  No  sign  of 
habitation  is  to  be  seen  during  the  entire  voyage,  with 
the  exception  of  an  occasional  group  of  fishermen's  huts 
or  a  custom-house  station.  The  whole  country  has  the 
appearance  of  an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  steamer 
plows  her  way,  hour  after  hour,  through  the  narrow  and 
winding  passages  that  lie  between  the  islands — some 
times  so  close  to  the  overhanging  cliffs  and  rugged  boul 
ders  of  granite  as  almost  to  touch — and  often  apparently 
land-locked  amid  the  maze  of  islands  and  promontories. 
While  there  is  nothing  grand  or  imposing  in  the  scenery, 
the  coast  of  Finland  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interest 
ing  portions  of  the  world,  in  a  geological  point  of  view. 
The  singular  formation  of  the  rocks,  their  rich  and  varied 
colors,  and  the  strange  manner  in  which  Nature  has 
grouped  them  together,  afford  an  endless  variety  of  in 
teresting  studies.  The  utter  isolation  of  the  inhabitants 
from  the  busy  world,  their  rude  and  primitive  mode  of 
life,  their  simplicity,  hardihood,  and  daring ;  the  rigors 
of  climate  to  which- they  are  subject,  and  their  strong  at 
tachment  to  their  sea-girt  homes  and  perilous  pursuits, 
render  the  trip  interesting  to  the  general  tourist,  who, 
though  not  skilled  in  geology,  may  be  supposed  to  pos 
sess,  like  myself,  a  fancy  for  gathering  up  odds  and  ends 
touching  the  condition  of  his  fellow-beings. 

The  people  of  this  coast  region  are  a  hardy  race,  whose 
wild  habits  of  life  and  isolation  from  the  great  outer 
world  develop  in  them  many  striking  and  peculiar  traits 
of  character.  During  the  long  winters,  when  the  bays, 
inlets,  and  harbors  are  blocked  with  ice,  they  become 
wood-choppers  or  lumbermen,  and  spend  their  time  chief 
ly  in  the  forests.  Upon  the  breaking  up  of  winter  they 
prepare  their  nets  and  fishing-gear,  and,  as  soon  as  the 
season  permits,  set  forth  in  their  little  smacks,  and  de 
vote  the  principal  part  of  the  summer  to  catching  and 
curing  fish,  for  which  they  find  a  ready  sale  at  the  sta 
tions  along  the  shore,  frequented  by  traders  from  St. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  039 

Petersburg.  They  live  in  small  cabins,  built  of  pine  logs, 
rarely  consisting  of  more  than  two  rooms.  Each  family 
owns  a  small  patch  of  ground,  with  an  unlimited  range 
of  forest.  A  few  cows  or  goats,  a  vegetable  garden,  and 
some  chickens  or  ducks,  constitute  all  they  require  for 
domestic  use,  and  these  are  usually  attended  by  the  wom 
en  and  children  during  the  absence  of  the  men  on  their 
fishing  expeditions.  Education  is  at  a  low  ebb  among 
them,  though  the  rudimental  branches  are  not  altogether 
neglected.  They  are  a  simple,  hospitable,  and  kind-heart 
ed  people,  ignorant  and  superstitious,  yet  by  no  means 
deficient  in  natural  capacity.  No  better  sailors  than  the 
Finns  are  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world,  and  there 
is  scarcely  a  sea  throughout  the  arctic  regions  which  htis 
not  been  visited  by  their  vessels.  Although  the  climate 
is  rigorous  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year,  the 
Finns  prefer  it  to  any  other  in  the  world,  and  conscien 
tiously  believe  the  garden  of  Paradise  must  have  been 
originally  located  in  Finland.  The  lower  classes  are  con 
tented  and  happy,  caring  little  for  affairs  of  government, 
unless  they  happen  to  be  subjected  to  some  peculiar  or 
oppressive  restraints.  As  the  traveler  approaches  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia,  they  assimilate  very  closely  to  the  same 
classes  in  Sweden,  and  but  little  difference  is  perceptible 
either  in  their  language  or  costume.  The  educated  class 
es,  such  as  the  professional  men,  merchants,  bankers,  trad 
ers,  etc.,  are  as  polished  as  most  people  throughout  the 
North  of  Europe,  and  many  of  them  are  distinguished 
for  their  cultivated  manners  and  general  intelligence. 
Such  of  these  as  I  conversed  with  on  board  the  steamer 
impressed  me  very  favorably.  I  found  them  liberal  in 
their  sentiments,  and  devoted  admirers  of  our  American 
institutions.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the  only  secessionist  I 
met  in  the  course  of  my  wanderings  in  this  region  was 
a  Finn.  Hearing  me  speak  English,  he  immediately 
opened  a  conversation  on  the  subject  of  the  revolution 
ary  movement  in  the  United  States.  He  did  not  know 
what  we  were  fighting  for ;  thought  the  North  was  act- 


240  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

ing  very  badly  ;  regarded  the  people  of  the  South  as  an 
oppressed  and  persecuted  race ;  believed  in  slavery ; 
considered  the  Lincoln  government  a  perfect  despotism, 
etc.  In  shprt,  his  views  were  a  general  epitome  of  the 
speeches,  proclamations,  and  messages  of  the  leading  reb 
els  throughout  the  South.  I  listened  to  him  with  great 
patience.  He  had  an  interesting  family  on  board,  all  of 
whom  spoke  English ;  and  what  struck  me  as  peculiar, 
a  species  of  negro  English  common  in  the  Southern 
States.  "  Sir,"  said  I,  at  length,  "  you  surprise  me !  I 
had  not  expected  to  meet  so  strong  an  advocate  of  slav 
ery  and  slave  institutions  in  this  latitude.  Can  it  be 
possible  that  you  are  a  Finn  ?"  "  Yes,  sir,"  he  answered, 
"  &  genuine  Finn — now  on  a  visit  to  my  native  country 
after  an  absence  of  twenty-five  years."  "  Then  you  must 
have  lived  in  the  South  ?"  "  Yes,  sir ;  in  Montgomery, 
Alabama.  I  have  property  there.  It  was  getting  pret 
ty  bad  there  for  a  family,  and  I  thought  I  had  better  pay 
a  visit  to  Finland  while  the  war  was  going  on."  This 
accounted  for  the  peculiar  sentiments  of  my  fellow-trav 
eler  !  He  seemed  to  be  a  very  nice  old  gentleman,  and 
I  was  sorry  to  find  him  tinctured  with  the  heresies  of  re 
bellion.  Farther  conversation  with  him  satisfied  me  that 
if  he  could  get  his  property  out  of  Montgomery,  and  put 
it  in  Massachusetts,  he  would  be  a  very  respectable  Un 
ion  man.  I  don't  think  his  heart  was  in  the  movement, 
though  his  pocket,  doubtless,  felt  a  considerable  interest 
in  it. 

The  town  of  Abo,  formerly  the  capital  of  Finland — 
now  a  place  of  no  great  importance  except  as  a  custom 
house  and  military  station  —  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  banks  of  a  river  called  the  Aurajoki,  about  three 
miles  above  its  mouth.  Vessels  of  medium  draught,  in 
cluding  the  coasting  steamers,  have  no  difficulty  in  as 
cending  as  far  as  the  bridge,  where  they  lie  alongside 
the  wharves  and  receive  or  discharge  freight.  Those  of 
larger  draught  usually  anchor  off  the  village  of  Box- 
hoi  in,  a  picturesque  gathering  of  red  cottages,  with 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  241 

high  peaked  roofs,  situated  at  the  entrance  of  the  river. 
Above  the  village,  on  the  summit  of  a  rocky  cliff,  stands 
the  fort  of  Abohus,  ready  at  a  moment's  notice'to  pour 
a  broadside  into  any  enemy  of  Imperial  Russia  that  may 
undertake  to  pass  up  the  river. 

Abo,  since  the  removal  of  the  capital  and  University 
to  Helsingfors  and  the  great  conflagration  of  1827,  which 
destroyed  two  thirds  of  the  town,  has  fallen  into  decay, 
and  now  does  not  contain  a  population  of  more  than  ten 
or  twelve  thousand  souls.  Spread  over  an  area  of  sev 
eral  miles  square,  with  a  sufficient  number  of  houses  to 
accommodate  twice  or  three  times  the  population,  its 
broad,  stone- paved  thoroughfares  and  numerous  unten- 
anted  buildings  have  a  peculiarly  desolate  appearance. 
Back  a  little  from  the  river  the  pedestrian  may  walk 
half  a  mile  at  midday  without  meeting  a  single  soul  in 
the  streets.  A  dead  silence  reigns  over  these  deserted 
quarters,  as  if  the  prevailing  lethargy  had  fallen  upon 
the  few  inhabitants  that  remain.  Grass  grows  on  the 
sidewalks,  and  the  basement  walls  of  the  houses  are  cov 
ered  with  moss.  A  dank,  chilly  mildew  seems  to  hang 
in  the  air.  One  might  become  green  all  over,  like  a  neg 
lected  tomb-stone,  should  he  forget  himself  and  stand 
too  long  in  one  spot.  I  spent  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  day  rambling  through  these  melancholy  by-ways,  and 
must  admit  that  the  effect  upon  my  spirits  was  not  cheer 
ing.  Now  and  then  the  apparition  of  some  cadaverous 
old  woman,  wrinkled  with  age — a  greenish  hue  upon  her 
features — would  appear  unexpectedly  at  some  unexpect 
ed  opening  in  one  of  the  ruinous  old  houses,  and  startle 
me  by  a  gaze  of  wonder  or  some  unintelligible  speech 
addressed  to  herself.  Probably  a  human  being  had  not 
been  seen  in  that  vicinity  for  the  last  month.  Some 
times  a  slatternly  servant-girl  would  appear  in  the  dis 
tance,  her  dress  bedraggled  with  slops,  a  tub  of  water 
on  the  pavement  close  by,  and  a  long-handled  mop  in  her 
Hand,  with  which  she  seemed  to  be  vigorously  engaged 
in  scrubbing  the  green  slime  and  tufts  of  moss  off  the 

L 


242  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

window-sills ;  but  catching  a  sight  of  the  strangers,  down 
would  go  the  mop,  and  then  the  usual  hasty  attempt 
would  be  made  at  fixing  her  hair  and  otherwise  increas 
ing  her  personal  charms.  As  I  drew  near,  this  useful 
member  of  society  would  naturally  take  a  sidelong  glance 
at  the  strange  gentleman,  and,  perceiving  that  he  was 
uncommonly  attractive  in  personal  appearance,  it  was 
quite  natural  she  should  make  a  neat  little  courtesy  and 
say  "  Got  A/ten!"  to  which,  of  course,  I  always  respond 
ed  in  the  most  affable  manner,  not  forgetting  to  say  to 
myself,  in  an  audible  tone,  "  Sken  Jumfru !"  —  a  pretty 
girl.  No  harm  in  that,  is  there? 

In  the  afternoon  I  walked  out  to  a  public  garden  about 
two  miles  from  town,  where  there  are  some  very  pleas 
ant  promenades,  a  large  building  containing  a  ballroom, 
and  numerous  pavilions  for  refreshments.  It  was  a  fes 
tive  occasion,  and  the  elite  and  fashion  of  Abo  were  as 
sembled  there  in  their  best  attire.  The  music  was  in 
spiring.  Dancing  seemed  contagious.  The  ballroom 
was  crowded,  and  old  and  young  were  whirling  about 
on  the  light  fantastic  toe  with  a  zest  and  spirit  truly  in 
spiring.  Old  gentlemen  with  bald  heads  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  their  age  and  infirmities,  and  whirled  the 
blooming  damsels  around  in  the  dizzy  mazes  of  the  waltz 
as  dexterously  as  the  youngest ;  and  young  gentlemen 
hopped  about  quite  frantic  with  joy,  and  altogether  be 
wildered  writh  the  beauty  of  their  partners.  It  was  real 
ly  a  pretty  sight.  Rarely  had  I  seen  so  many  pleasant 
faces  of  both  sexes,  especially  those  of  the  ladies.  Good- 
humor,  simplicity,  and  frankness  were  their  predominant 
traits.  All  ceremony  seemed  to  be  cast  aside,  and  every 
body  participated  in  the  dance  as  if  it  were  one  great 
family  frolic.  The  formality  of  introduction  wras  dis 
pensed  with,  or  probably  most  of  the  guests  were  already 
acquainted.  The  fiddlers  scraped  louder  and  louder; 
wilder  and  faster  blew  the  horns,  and  on  went  the  dance 
with  increasing  vigor.  I  was  getting  excited — the  spir.it 
of  the  thing  was  contagious.  Though  not  much  of  a 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  243 

dancer,  yet  I  had  occasionally  in  my  life  filled  a  place  in 
a  reel  or  a  cotillon.  Waltzing,  to  be  sure,  was  a  little 
beyond  my  experience,  but  I  had  a  general  idea  of  the 
figure,  and  could  not  perceive  that  there  was  any  thing 
very  difficult  about  it.  Most  of  the  waltzers  here  whirl 
ed  around  with  great  ease,  and  I  could  see  no  reason 
why  it  would  not  be  entirely  practicable  for  an  active 
man  like  myself,  who  thought  nothing  of  climbing  high 
mountains  or  jumping  across  small  rivers,  to  do  the 
same.  Besides,  these  people  were  strangers ;  it  would 
be  a  good  opportunity  to  try  my  skill.  Doubtless,  any 
of  the  young  ladies  would  oblige  me  if  I  asked  them  to 
dance.  They  seemed  to  oblige  every  body  that  asked 
them,  and  showed  no  signs  of  fatigue.  Indeed,  they 
looked  fresher  and  more  vigorous  after  every  bout.  I 
was  particularly  charmed  with  the  appearance  of  one 
young  lady.  Her  complexion  was  florid,  and  her  figure 
absolutely  magnificent.  At  a  rough  guess  she  must 
have  weighed  a  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  Every 
time  she  whirled  past  me  I  could  feel  the  floor  give  way. 
Her  partner  was  rather  small,  and  revolved  around  her 
like  a  planet  round  the  sun.  When  she  laughed,  which 
was  nearly  all  the  time,  her  beautiful  mouth  opened  at 
least  two  thirds  of  the  way  across  her  face,  revealing  a 
set  of  teeth  to  which  flakes  of  snow,  pearls,  or  any  thing 
of  that  kind  could  bear  no  comparison.  The  extraordi 
nary  vigor  of  this  girl,  her  tremendous  powers  of  en 
durance,  her  weight,  beauty,  and  good -humor,  rendered 
her  a  general  favorite.  She  was,  in  fact,  the  belle  of  the 
room.  To  dance  with  her  would  be  an  honorable  dis 
tinction.  Now  I  am  naturally  a  modest  man,  but  of  late 
years  that  defect  has  been  gradually  disappearing  from 
my  character.  I  resolved  to  dance  with  this  girl — if  she 
would  consent.  As  soon  as  there  was  a  pause,  there 
fore,  I  made  bold  to  go  up  to  her,  and,  with  a  very  po 
lite  bow,  solicited  her  hand — in  English.  She  didn't  un 
derstand  English,  but  she  understood  dancing,  and  an 
swered  me  very  politely  in  Swedish,  "  Ja!"  I  think  my 


244  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

dress  and  manner,  together  with  ray  ignorance  of  the 
Swedish  language,  had  rather  a  favorable  effect.  She 
certainly  looked  complimented  and  gratified.  I  saw  her 
turn  round  her  head  as  we  stood  up,  and  laugh  at  the 
other  girls,  which  I  interpreted  to  mean  that  she,  of  all 
in  the  room,  had  succeeded  in  catching  the  distinguished 
stranger.  Well,  the  music  started  —  it  was  a  German 
waltz.  I  stood  holding  on  to  rny  partner  as  the  ivy 
clings  to  the  solid  oak.  Never  did  I  feel  so  firm  a  girl. 
Had  she  been  formed  of  lead  she  could  not  have  felt 
more  substantial.  Now,  thought  I,  away  we'll  spin  over 
the  floor,  a  living  duet,  altogether  accidental,  but  beauti 
ful  to  behold —  » 

"Like  the  sweet  tunes  that  wandering  meet, 
And  so  harmoniously  they  run, 
The  hearer  dreams  they  are  but  one." 

There  was  only  one  consideration  that  gave  me  any  par 
ticular  anxiety.  Being  of  a  light  and  slender  figure,  I 
had  some  apprehensions  that  in  the  giddy  whirl  of  the 
waltz  this  powerful  young  lady  might  accidentally  throw 
me  out  of  balance  and  create  an  unpleasant  scene.  How 
ever,  there  was  no  time  for  reflection.  At  a  given  sig 
nal,  away  she  started  with  tremendous  energy.  I  did 
my  best  to  whirl  her  round,  and  don't  think  it  would  be 
possible  for  any  body  to  do  any  better  under  the  circum 
stances  ;  but  she  didn't  keep  time — or  I  didn't.  Round 
and  round  the  room  we  flew,  to  the  inspiring  strains  of 
the  music,  with  an  undulating  motion  very  difficult  to 
conceive,  and  still  more  difficult  to  execute  without  dan 
ger  to  the  other  dancers.  The  warm  blood  rushed  to 
my  face ;  my  head  grew  dizzy :  the  only  thing  I  saw 
was  that  this  style  of  waltzing  must  end  in  destruction 
to  myself  or  somebody  else.  I  was  fairly  lifted  off  my 
feet  at  every  turn,  and  found  myself  absolutely  hanging 
on  to  my  partner  to  keep  from  falling.  She  never  re 
laxed  in  her  vigorous  movements  one  moment;  but  as 
the  music  increased  in  spirit,  so  did  she.  The  room  was 
filled  with  wait/ore.  It  was  impossible  to  be  flying 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  245 

about  in  this  way  without  hitting  somebody.  I  knew  it 
from  the  very  beginning,  but  what  could  I  do  ?  The 
first  man  down  was  an  old  gentleman.  I  begged  his 
pardon,  and  helped  him  up  again.  Next  I  was  dashed 
against  a  young  lady.  She  and  her  partner  both  went 
down.  I  helped  them  up,  and  begged  pardon  again, 
which  was  granted  with  great  good-humor.  After  that, 
most  of  the  waltzers  began  to  get  out  of  the  way,  so  that 
we  presently  had  a  more  enlarged  scope  of  operations. 
I  fancy  there  was  something  uncommon  in  my  style  of 
waltzing  that  attracted  attention.  It  was  not  long  be 
fore  we  had  the  entire  circle  to  ourselves,  the  crowd 
standing  around  and  manifesting  the  most  intense  appre 
ciation  of  our  efforts.  All  went  on  very  well  for  a  while, 
Up  and  down  the  room,  and  round  and  round  we  whirl 
ed,  and  at  every  whirl  there  was  a  murmur  of  admira 
tion  and  applause.  My  beautiful  partner  shook  her  sides 
as  if  convulsed  with  an  earthquake — I  could  feel  the  mo 
tion,  but  was  unable  to  conjecture  the  cause.  Possibly 
she  was  getting  agitated — or  it  might  be  that  sentiments 
of  tenderness  were  stealing  over  her  heart.  That  idea,  or 
something  else,  confused  me.  I  struck  out  one  foot  a 
little  awkwardly.  She  tripped  against  it,  whirled  me 
half  round  in  attempting  to  gain  her  balance,  and  then 
we  fell.  It  was  very  awkward.  What  rendered  it  still 
more  unpleasant,  every  body  began  to  laugh.  People 
always  do  laugh  at  the  misfortunes  of  others.  I  would 
have  picked  the  young  lady  up  at  once,  or  at  least  tried 
it  (for  she  was  rather  heavy),  but  the  fact  is,  I  fell  un 
derneath,  and  was  utterly  unable  to  move.  Had  I  been 
pinned  and  riveted  to  the  floor,  I  could  not  have  been 
in  a  more  helpless  position.  A  man  whose  natural  in 
stincts  are  polite  is  surely  a  subject  of  sympathy  and 
commiseration  under  such  a  pressure  of  difficulties  as 
this.  I  breathed  hard,  but  was  unable  to  get  out  a  sin 
gle  word  of  apology,  till,  with  a  laugh  and  a  bound,  my 
fair  partner  regained  her  feet,  and  then  she  very  good- 
naturedly  assisted  me  in  regaining  mine.  Mortified  be- 


246  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

yond  measure,  I  conducted  her  to  a  seat.  As  I  was 
passing  out  of  the  room  soon  after,  a  new  waltz  struck 
up.  The  dancers  went  at  it  again  as  lively  as  ever.  I 
turned  to  see  what  had  become  of  my  partner.  She 
was  whirling  over  the  floor  with  undiminished  energy 
in  the  arms  of  a  young  gentleman  in  military  uniform. 
He  may  have  been  more  accustomed  to  waltzing  than  I 
was,  but  I  think  any  person  present — not  excepting  the 
young  lady  herself —  would  have  been  willing  to  admit 
that  his  style  did  not  compare  with  mine  in  force  and 
individuality.  It  certainly  produced  no  such  effect  upon 
the  audience. 

I  walked  back  to  town  a  sober  and  thoughtful  man. 
This  dancing  business  is  a  very  foolish  pastime.  It  may 
do  very  well  for  giddy  and  thoughtless  young  persons, 
but  for  men  of  mature  years  it  is  the  height  of  folly.  I 
am  surprised  that  they  should  be  led  aside  from  their 
customary  propriety  by  the  fascinations  of  beauty. 

The  sun  was  just  setting.  Its  last  rays  rested  upon 
the  ruined  walls  of  the  Observatory.  I  followed  a  crowd 
of  citizens  who  were  slowly  toiling  up  the  stone  steps, 
and,  after  a  pretty  hard  climb,  was  rewarded  with  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country. 
The  rocky  pinnacle  upon  which  the  Observatory  stands 
rises  some  three  hundred  feet  above  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  overlooks  a  large  portion  of  the  valley  of  the 
Aurajiki.  The  winding  waters  of  the  river ;  the  green 
fields  ;  patches  of  woodland,  villas,  and  gardens ;  the  blue 
mountains  in  the  distance,  and  the  silent  city  lying  like 
a  mouldering  corpse  beneath,  presented  a  scene  singular 
ly  picturesque  and  impressive.  I  sat  down  upon  the 
ruined  walls  and  thought  of  Abo  in  its  glory — the  an 
cient  head-quarters  of  Christianity  in  Finland ;  the  last 
abiding-place  of  the  beautiful  Caroline  Morsson,  the  peas 
ant  queen  of  Sweden,  wife  of  Eric  XII.,  who  died  here, 
and  whose  remains  lie  in  the  Cathedral — the  city  of  the 
mighty  hosts  of  warlike  Finns  who  fought  under  the 
banner  of  Charles  XII.,  and  made  a  funeral  pyre  of  their 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  247 

bodies  upon  the  bloody  field  of  Puttara.  The  present 
Finns  are  of  this  heroic  race.  Not  less  brave,  yet  less 
fortunate  than  the  Spartans  of  Thermopyla3,  they  have 
lost  their  country  and  their  freedom,  and  now  groan  un 
der  the  oppression  of  a  despotic  government. 

While  thus  musing  on  the  past,  a  strain  of  delicious 
music  broke  the  stillness.  I  rambled  over  the  granite 
cliffs  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and  soon  came  to  a 
grove  of  trees,  with  an  open  space  in  the  middle,  occu 
pied  by  a  band  of  musicians,  who  were  surrounded  by  a 
group  of  citizens,  thus  pleasantly  passing  the  summer 
evening.  Booths  and  tents  were  scattered  about  in  every 
direction,  in  which  cakes  and  refreshments  were  to  be 
had ;  and  gay  parties  of  young  people  were  seated  on 
long  planks  so  arranged  as  to  make  a  kind  of  spring  seats, 
upon  which  they  bounced  up  and  down  to  the  time  of 
the  music.  Children  were  playing  upon  the  grass,  their 
merry  shouts  of  laughter  mingling  pleasantly  with  the 
national  air  performed  by  the  band.  On  the  moss-cov 
ered  rocks  sat  groups  of  young  ladies,  guarded  by  their 
amiable  mothers  or  discreet  duennas,  as  the  case  might 
be,  trying  hard  not  to  see  any  of  the  young  gentlemen 
who  lounged  about  in  the  same  vicinity ;  and  young  gen 
tlemen  prowled  about  puffing  cigars  as  if  they  didn't 
care  a  straw  whether  the  young  ladies  looked  at  them  or 
not — both  being,  of  course,  according  to  the  established 
usages  of  society,  natural  enemies  of  each  other.  For  the 
life  of  me,  I  can't  tell  why  it  is  that  young  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen  should  be  thus  everlastingly  at  war.  Would  it 
not  be  better  to  kiss  and  make  it  up,  and  try,  if  possible, 
to  get  along  peaceably  through  the  world  ? 

But  the  steamer  blows  her  whistle — the  bell  rings — I 
must  hurry  on  board.  Good-by,  dear  Finns,  big  and  lit 
tle,  I  like  you  all.  God  bless  you !  Good-by  old  Abo, 
with  your  ancient  church,  and  your  moss-grown  streets, 
and  deserts  of  houses — I  feel  sorry  for  you,  but  I  can't 
help  it !  Good-by,  Russia !  If  I  don't  call  again,  attrib 
ute  it  to  no  want  of  interest  in  the  great  cause  of  civili- 


248  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

zation.  Just  drop  me  a  line  and  let  me  know  when  the 
serfs  are  free  and  a  constitutional  government  is.  estab 
lished,  and  I  will  strain  a  point  to  pay  my  respects  to  Al 
exander  II.  I  rather  like  the  young  man,  and  have  an 
idea  that  he  is  capable  of  noble  deeds  and  heroic  sacrifi 
ces.  But  he  must  abolish  his  secret  police,  punish  them 
for  whipping  women,  open  universities  upon  a  liberal  ba 
sis,  throw  the  camarilla  and  the  aristocracy  overboard, 
quit  murdering  the  poor  Poles  at  Warsaw,  and  do  sev 
eral  other  things  before  he  can  have  my  support.  Should 
he  accomplish  these  beneficial  reforms,  and  at  any  future 
time  think  proper  to  settle  in  my  neighborhood,  where 
the  climate  is  more  genial,  I  shall  cheerfully  vote  for  him 
as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Oakland. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

STOCKHOLM. 

THE  passage  from  Abo  to  Stockholm  occupies  about 
eighteen  hours,  and  in  fine  weather  affords  a  constant 
succession  of  agreeable  scenes.  With  the  exception  of 
about  four  hours  of  open  sea  in  crossing  the  Gulf  of 
Bothnia,  the  steamer  is  constantly  surrounded  by  islands, 
many  of  them  highly  picturesque,  and  all  interesting 
from  their  peculiar  geological  formation.  Occasionally 
the  island  winds  like  a  snake  through  a  wilderness  of 
naked  granite  boulders,  round  and  slippery,  and  barely 
high  enough  out  of  the  water  to  afford  a  foundation  for 
a  few  fishermen's  huts,  which  from  time  to  time  break 
the  monotony  of  their  solitude.  Sometimes  the  channel 
opens  out  into  broad  lakes,  apparently  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides  by  pine-covered  cliffs ;  then  passing  between  a  se 
ries  of  frightful  crags,  upthrown,  as  it  were,  out  of  the 
water  by  some  convulsion  of  nature,  the  surging  waves 
lash  their  way  through  the  narrow  passages,  and  threat 
en  each  moment  to  ingulf  the  frail  vessel,  or  dash  it  to 
atoms  against  the  rocks.  The  greatest  danger  in  mak- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  249 

ing  this  trip  arises  from  the  number  of  sunken  rocks, 
which  often  approach  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface 
without  being  visible.  The  depth  is  usually  marked  by 
poles  or  buoys,  and  it  often  happens  that  the  steamer 
plies  her  way  for  hours  between  these  water -marks, 
where  there  is  no  other  indication  of  danger.  The 
Swedish  and  Finnish  pilots  are  proverbially  among  the 
best  in  the  world.  We  had  an  old  Finn  on  board  —  a 
shaggy  old  sea-dog,  rough  and  weatherbeaten  as  any  of 
the  rocks  on  his  own  rock-bound  coast,  who,  I  venture 
to  say,  never  slept  a  wink  during  the  entire  passage,  or 
if  he  did,  it  was  all  the  same.  He  knew  every  rock,  big 
and  little,  visible  and  invisible,  that  lay  on  the  entire 
route  between  Abo  and  Stockholm,  and  could  see  them 
all  with  his  eyes  shut.  An  uncouth,  hardy,  honest  old 
monster  was  this  Finn  —  a  Caliban  of  a  fellow,  half  hu 
man,  half  fish  —  with  a  great  sou'wester  on  his  head,  a 
rough  monkey-jacket  buttoned  around  his  body,  and  a 
pair  of  boots  on  his  legs  that  must  have  been  designed 
for  wading  over  coral  reefs,  through  seas  of  swordfish, 
shovel -nosed  sharks,  and  unicorns.  His  broad,  honest 
face  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a  granite  boulder  cov 
ered  with  barna*cles  and  sea-weed,  and  ornamented  by  a 
bunch  of  mussels  for  a  nose,  and  a  pair  of  shining  blue 
pebbles  by  way  of  eyes ;  and  when  he  spoke,  which  was 
not  often,  his  voice  sounded  like  the  keel  of  a  fishing- 
smack  grating  over  a  bank  of  gravel.  I  strongly  sus 
pect  his  father  was  a  sea-lion  and  his  mother  a  grampus 
or  scragg  whale,  and  that  he  was  fished  up  out  of  the 
sea  when  young  by  some  hardy  son  of  Neptune,  and 
subsequently  trained  up  in  the  ways  of  humanity  on 
board  a  fishing-smack,  where  the  food  consisted  of  poly 
pi,  lobsters,  and  black  bread.  Yet  there  was  something 
wonderfully  genial  about  this  old  pilot.  He  chewed 
enormous  quantities  of  tobacco,  the  stains  of  which 
around  his  mouth  greatly  improved  the  beauty  of  his 
countenance ;  and  when  he  was  not  chewing  pigtail  he 
was  smoking  it,  which  equally  contributed  to  soften  the 

L2 


250  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

asperities  of  his  features.  Having  sailed  in  many  seas, 
he  spoke  many  languages,  but  none  very  intelligibly, 
owing  to  some  radical  defect  in  the  muscles  of  his  month. 
As  to  the  channel  between  Abo  and  Stockholm,  which 
lies  partly  through  the  Aland  Islands  and  numerous  ad 
jacent  rocks,  above  and  below  water,  I  believe  he  had 
traveled  over  it  so  often  that  he  could  steer  a  vessel 
through  it  standing  backward  as  readily  as  box  the 
compass,  or  shut  both  his  eyes  and  tell  where  the  deep 
est  water  lay  by  the  smell  of  the  air  and  the  taste  of  his 
tobacco. 

The  passage  across  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  was  somewhat 
rough,  and  most  of  the  passengers  were  sea-sick,  owing, 
no  doubt,  to  the  short  chopping  motion  which  prevails 
on  board  of  all  kinds  of  sea-going  vessels  in  these  inland 
seas.  Having  performed  various  voyages  in  various 
parts  of  the  world,  I  was,  of  course,  exempt  from  this 
annoyance  ;  but  my  digestion  had  been  impaired  in  Rus 
sia  by  the  vast  quantity  of  tea,  cucumbers,  veal,  cabbage- 
soup,  and  other  horrible  mixtures  which  I  had  been 
forced  to  consume  while  there,  and  which  now  began  to 
tell  on  my  constitution.  Notwithstanding  repeated  doses 
of  cognac,  taken  from  time  to  time  as  I  walked  the  decks, 
the  sea  began  to  whirl  all  round,  the  clouds  overhead  to 
swing  about  at  random  through  the  rigging,  and  the 
odor  of  the  machinery  to  produce  the  strongest  and 
most  disagreeable  sensations.  I  went  below  to  see  how 
things  looked  there ;  but,  finding  the  atmosphere  dense 
and  the  prospect  gloomy,  returned  in  great  haste  and 
looked  over  the  bulwarks  to  see  how  fast  we  were  go 
ing  through  the  water.  While  thus  engaged,  an  amus 
ing  thought  occurred  to  me.  Suppose  the  mermaids 
who  lie  down  in  the  briny  depths  form  their  ideas  of 
the  beauty  of  the  human  countenance  from  the  casual 
glimpses  thus  afforded  of  our  features,  would  it  be  possi 
ble  for  the  most  susceptible  of  them  to  fall  in  love  with  us? 
The  idea  was  so  droll  that  I  was  almost  convulsed  with 
laughter  ;  but,  not  wishing  to  attract  attention  by  lans:h- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  251 

ing  aloud  at  my  own  thoughts,  I  merely  clung  to  the 
bulwarks  and  doubled  myself  up,  trying  to  avoid  the  ap 
pearance  of  eccentricity.  At  or  about  the  same  moment, 
the  old  Finnish  pilot,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  ac 
quaintance,  came  along,  and  said  goo'd-naturedly,"  Hello, 
sir!  I  dink  you  pe  sea-sick."  "  Sea-sick?"  said  I,  a  little 
nettled.  "  Oh  no,  Herr  Pilot,  I'm  an  old  sailor,  and  nev 
er  get  sea-sick."  "  Vel,  I  dought  you  was  sick  —  you 
look  bad,  sir,"  answered  the  good  old  pilot ;  "  de  sea  is 
very  rough,  sir."  Here  the  steamer  took  a  notion  to 
pitch  down  into  the  water  and  jump  up  again  suddenly, 
and  then  rolled  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  number  of  the  passengers  began  to 
make  grotesque  and  disagreeable  noises,  which  amused 
me  so  much  that  I  had  to  turn  away  my  face  and  look 
at  the  water  again  to  avoid  laughing.  "  Sir,"  said  the 
old  pilot,  who  observed  the  contortions  of  mirth  by  which 
I  was  moved,  "  vil  you  have  some  schnapps  ?  I  dink 
schnapps  is  goot  for  de  sea-sick."  "  Thank  you,"  said  I, 
the  tears  streaming  from  my  eyes, "  I  won't  have  any 
just  now."  "  Vel,  't won't  last  long,  any  how,"  suggest 
ed  the  good-natured  monster.  "By'm-by  we  be  up  to 
Vaxholm — in  pout  two  hours.  Dere's  land !  Don't  you 
see  it  ?"  I  saw  it,  and  right  glad  I  was  too,  for  it  is  al 
ways  refreshing  to  see  land  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer. 
In  half  an  hour  more  we  entered  a  smooth  stretch  of  wa 
ter,  and  soon  the  wood- covered  islands  and  shores  of 
S\veden  were  close  ahead. 

Passing  the  fortress  of  Waxholm,  we  entered  the  mag 
nificent  fjord  or  arm  of  the  sea  which  extends  for  a  dis 
tance  often  or  twelve  miles  up  to  the  city.  The  scenery 
on  this  part  of  the  route  is  very  fine.  All  along  the 
shores  of  the  main  land  and  adjacent  islands  rugged  cliffs 
of  granite  reared  their  hoary  crests  over  the  waters  of  the 
fjord.  Forests  of  oak  and  pine  cover  the  rolling  back 
ground,  and  beautiful  villas,  with  parterres  and  blooming 
gardens,  peep  from  every  glen.  Sometimes  for  miles  the 
solitude  of  the  forests  and  rock-bound  shores  is  unbro- 


252  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ken,  save  by  an  occasional  fisherman's  hut  or  an  open 
patch  of  green  pasture ;  then  suddenly,  upon  turning  a 
point,  a  group  of  red-roofed  villas  glimmer  through  the 
foliage ;  sail-boats  are  seen  gliding  over  the  water  with 
gay  companies  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  the  city  en 
joying  the  fresh  breeze  that  sweeps  up  from  the  Gulf; 
now  a  hay-boat  or  a  clumsy  lugger  laden  with  wood 
drifts  along  lazily  toward  the  grand  centre  of  trade;  and 
as  we  approach  nearer  to  the  dim  smoke-cloud  that  hangs 
over  the  city,  big  and  little  craft  gather  thicker  and  thick 
er  before  us,  till  the  whole  fjord  seems  alive  with  masts 
and  sails.  Soon  the  outlines  of  the  churches  and  castles 
break  through  the  dim  distance,  and,  like  some  grand 
optical  illusion,  the  whole  city  gradually  opens  up  be 
fore  us. 

To  say  that  I  was  charmed  with  the  first  view  of  Stock 
holm  would  but  faintly  express  the  feelings  with  which 
I  gazed  upon  this  beautiful  metropolis  of  the  North. 
Though  different  in  almost  every  essential  particular,  it 
has  been  not  unaptly  compared  to  Venice ;  and  certain 
ly,  if  the  sparkling  waters  from  which  it  seems  to  rise, 
the  wood-covered  islands,  the  rich  and  varied  outlines 
of  its  churches  and  castles,  the  forests  of  shipping  at  its 
wharves,  the  many-colored  sail-boats  and  gondolas  sweep 
ing  hither  and  thither,  the  glowing  atmosphere,  and  sur 
rounding  gardens,  villas,  temples,  and  pavilions,  can  en 
title  it  to  that  distinction,  Stockholm  well  deserves  to 
rank  with  the  Queen  City  of  the  Adriatic. 

The  landing  for  the  Baltic  steamers  is  at  the  head  quay 
called  the  Skepsbron,  which  in  summer  is  well  lined  with 
shipping,  and  presents  rather  an  animated  appearance. 
Very  little  formality  is  observed  in  regard  to  the  bag 
gage  of  passengers,  and  passports  are  not  required,  or  at 
least  no  demand  was  made  upon  me  for  mine.  All  I  had 
to  do  was  to  show  my  knapsack  to  the  custom-house  offi 
cer,  who  put  a  chalk-mark  upon  it,  signifying,  no  doubt, 
that  it  contained  nothing  contraband ;  after  which  I 
stepped  ashore,  and,  aided  by  a  friendly  fellow-passenger, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  253 

found  lodgings  at  a  dirty  little  hotel  close  by,  called  the 
"  Stadt  Frankfort."  If  there  is  any  worse  place  to  be 
found  in  Stockholm,  it  must  be  the  very  worst  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  for  the  "  Stadt  Frankfort"  is  next  thing 
to  it.  Being  dirty  and  foul  of  smell,  and  abounding,  in 
vermin,  of  course  the  charges  are,  as  usual  in  such  cases, 
proportionally  high,  for  which  reason  I  recommend  it 
to  any  gentleman  traveling  in  this  direction  whose  main 
object  is  to  get  rid  of  his  money  for  an  equivalent  of  filth, 
fleas,  bugs,  bad  bread,  and  worse  coffee.  The  main  part 
of  the  city,  embracing  the  King's  Palace,  the  Bourse,  the 
Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  the  Barracks  and  public  build 
ings,  is  built  upon  an  island  fronting  the  Baltic  on  the 
one  side  and  the  Malar  Lake  on  the  other.  This  is  the 
most  populous  and  interesting  part,  though  the  streets 
are  narrow  and  irregular,  and  the  houses  generally  old 
and  dilapidated,  with  dark,  gloomy  fronts,  and  a  very 
fishy  and  primitive  expression  of  countenance.  The  new 
parts  of  the  city,  called  the  Normalm  to  the  north  and 
the  Sodmalm  to  the  south,  which  are  connected  with  the 
island  by  bridges,  have  some  fine  streets  and  handsome 
rows  of  buildings  in  the  modern  style,  especially  the 
Normalm,  which  contains  the  King's  Garden,  the  Arse 
nal,  the  Opera-house,  and  the  principal  hotels  and  resi 
dences  of  the  foreign  ministers.  This  part  of  Stockholm 
will  compare  favorably  with  second  or  third-rate  cities 
in  Germany ;  for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that,  striking 
as  the  external  aspect  of  Stockholm  is,  the  interior  is 
very  far  from  sustaining  the  illusion  of  grandeur  cast 
around  it  by  the  scenic  beauties  of  its  position.  In  noth 
ing  is  the  traveler  more  disappointed  than  the  almost 
total  absence  of  business  excitement.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  stevedores  at  work  on  the  wharves  and  a 
trifling  jostle  at  the  market-places,  the  whole  city  seems 
to  be  sitting  down  in  its  Northern  solitude,  waiting,  like 
Mr.  Micawber,  for  something  to  turn  up.  In  some  parts 
one  may  walk  half  a  mile  without  hearing  a  sound  save 
the  echo  of  his  own  footsteps.  It  is,  emphatically,  a 


254  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

"  slow"  place — so  slow,  indeed,  compared  with  the  marts 
of  commerce  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed  in  Califor 
nia  (especially  the  city  of  Oakland),  that  I  was  constant 
ly  impressed  with  the  idea  that  every  body  was  fast 
asleep,  and  that  if  three  or  four  of  them  should  happen 
to  wake  at  the  same  time,  it  would  be  fearfully  startling 
to  hear  their  eyelids  crack  open  and  the  hollow  streets 
echo  to  their  yawns. 

But  don't  understand  this  as  a  reflection  upon  the 
Swedish  race.  They  are  industrious  and  energetic  when 
occasion  requires,  but,  like  all  people  who  live  at  the  ex 
treme  North,  acquire  tropical  habits  of  indolence  from 
the  climate.  During  the  tedious  winters,  when  the  days 
are  but  six  hours  long,  all  who  can  afford  it  become  tor 
pid,  like  frogs,  and  lie  up  in  their  houses  till  the  summer 
sun  thaws  them  out.  Balls,  parties,  and  sleigh-riding  oc 
casionally  rouse  them  up,  but  lethargy  is  the  general 
rule.  The  warm  weather  comes  very  suddenly,  and  then 
the  days  are  eighteen  hours  long.  This  being  the  sea 
son  of  outdoor  pleasure,  it  is  spent  in  visits  to  the  coun 
try  or  lounging  about  the  gardens,  sitting  on  spring 
benches  and  enjoying  the  sunshine. 

The  Swedish  soldiers  are  a  fine-looking  race  of  men, 
far  superior  in  stature  and  general  appearance  to  the  sol 
diers  of  Russia.  They  are  well  drilled,  bold,  and  manly, 
and  have  fine  faces,  full  of  spirit  and  intelligence.  Wher 
ever  these  men  are  led,  they  will  now,  as  in  past  times, 
give  the  enemies  of  their  country  some  trouble.  I  con 
sider  them  the  finest  soldiers  in  Northern  Europe. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  citizens  of  Stockholm  is  that 
of  extreme  plainness  and  simplicity.  I  take  them  to  be 
an  honest,  substantial,  and  reliable  people,  well  educated 
and  intelligent ;  satisfied  with  themselves  and  the  world, 
and  proud  of  their  country  and  its  history.  Politeness 
is  a  national  characteristic.  Every  person,  of  high  and 
low  degree,  upon  entering  a  shop,  takes  oif  his  hat,  and 
remains  with  uncovered  head  while  making  his  purchase. 
Gentlemen  who  meet  on  the  street  knock  the  tops  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  255 

their  "  tiles"  against  their  knees,  and  continue  to  bow  at 
each  other  long  after  they  have  passed.  In  feature  and 
general  appearance  the  Swedes  are  handsomer  than  the 
southern  races  of  Europe,  and  for  that  reason  wear  a 
nearer  resemblance  to  the  Americans.  I  saw  several  men 
in  Stockholm  who  would  not  have  done  discredit  to  Cal 
ifornia,  in  point  of  fine  faces  and  commanding  figures. 
The  Swedish  ladies  are  proverbially  beautiful.  It  was 
really  refreshing,  after  my  visit  to  Russia,  to  see  so  many 
pretty  women  as  I  met  here.  Light  hair,  oval  features, 
sparkling  blue  eyes,  and  forms  of  intoxicating  grace  and 
beauty — ah  me  !  why  should  such  dangers  be  permitted 
to  threaten  the  defenseless  traveler  with  instant  destruc 
tion,  when  the  law  provides  for  his  protection  against 
other  disasters  by  land  and  sea,  assault  and  battery,  false 
imprisonment  and  highway  robbery  ?  Yet  here  were 
lovely  creatures,  gliding  about  at  large,  shooting  mutila 
tion  and  death  out  of  their  bright  blue  eyes,  and  appar 
ently  as  indifferent  to  the  slaughter  they  committed  as 
if  it  were  the  finest  fun  in  the  world !  Talk  of  your 
French  beauties,  your  Italian  beauties,  your  Spanish  beau 
ties!  Give  me,  for  the  impersonation  of  soul  expressed 
in  the  human  form  divine — for  features  "  woven  from  the 
music  of  the  spheres  and  painted  with  the  hues  of  the 
aurora  borealis" — a  Swedish  beauty,  the  nearest  approach 
upon  earth  to  an  American  beauty,  which,  being  alto 
gether  angelic,  must  ever  remain  the  highest  type  of 
perfection  known  to  mankind. 

I  don't  wonder  Swedenborg  made  so  many  heavens 
for  his  female  characters.  His  "  conjugal  felicity"  re 
quired  at  least  seven.  One  small  heaven,  constructed 
upon  the  Swedish  plan,  would  certainly  afford  but  limit 
ed  accommodations  for  all  the  beauties  of  Stockholm. 

A  day  or  two  after  my  arrival  in  Stockholm  I  called 
to  see  Mr.  Fristadins,  the  American  consul,  from  whom 
I  obtained  the  latest  news  in  reference  to  the  progress 
of  the  rebellion.  Accustomed  as  we  are  in  the  United 
States  to  read  the  newspapers  every  morning,  wherever 


256  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

we  may  happen  to  be,  the  deprivations  in  this  respect  to 
which  an  American  traveler  in  Europe  is  subjected  must 
be  experienced  to  be  fully  appreciated.  Even  in  the 
principal  cities  of  Germany  it  is  difficult  to  find  a  news 
paper  that  contains  any  thing  more  than  a  notice  of  the 
price  of  stocks,  a  few  telegraphic  items  about  the  petty 
court  movements  of  neighboring  cities,  a  rehash  of  slan 
der  upon  our  country  from  the  London  Times,  or  an  item 
of  news  about  the  war,  in  which  the  states  are  misplaced, 
the  names  misspelled,  and  the  most  important  points 
omitted.  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  village  press  in  Cali 
fornia  that  would  not  be  ashamed  to  turn  out  such  trashy 
little  sheets  as  are  issued  in  Frankfort ;  and  as  for  the 
matter  of  fairness  and  honesty,  it  is  rare  to  find  an  inde 
pendent  newspaper  in  any  part  of  Europe.  To  suppress 
truth  and  subserve  some  military  or  financial  interest  is 
the  business  for  which  they  are  paid.  Making  due  allow 
ance  for  party  prejudices,  you  may  guess  at  the  truth  in 
most  of  our  American  journals,  but  it  would  be  a  waste 
of  time  to  search  for  it  in  the  newspapers  published  on 
this  side  of  the  water.  While  they  studiously  refrain 
from  indecorous  language,  they  are  corrupt  and  unrelia 
ble  beyond  any  thing  known  in  California,  and  have  not 
even  the  merit  of  being  energetic  and  entertaining  liars. 
This  is  the  case  in  Russia  and  Finland  as  wrell  as  in  Ger 
many.  Where  the  press  is  subjected  to  a  rigid  censor 
ship,  it  is  of  course  useless  to  look  for  reliable  informa 
tion,  and  as  for  late  intelligence,  it  does  not  travel  through 
official  bureaus.  Before  leaving  Frankfort  I  had  news 
to  the  28th  of  June.  A  week  after  my  arrival  at  St.  Pe 
tersburg  the  same  news  was  promulgated  in  that  city. 
On  my  return  from  Moscow  I  had  the  pleasure  of  read 
ing  the  details  in  an  American  newspaper.  One  or  two 
mutilated  telegraphic  dispatches  seemed  to  sharpen  my 
appetite  during  the  trip  to  Revel,  Ilelsingfors,  Abo,  and 
Stockholm ;  and  now,  arrived  at  the  head-quarters  of 
Swedish  civilization,  after  searching  in  vain  for  a  late 
English  or  American  newspaper  at  the  principal  cafi's,  I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  257 

was  compelled  to  make  application  to  our  consul,  in  the 
faint  hope  that  he  might  be  an  occasional  reader  of  that 
ephemeral  species  of  literature.  Fortunately,  Mr.  Fris- 
tadius  had  spent  some  time  in  the  United  States,  and 
learned  to  appreciate  the  magnitude  and  importance  of 
the  struggle  in  which  we  were  engaged. 

I  had  the  pleasure,  during  my  sojourn  in  Stockholm, 
of  getting  a  glimpse  of  Swedish  social  life  in  one  of  its 
most  agreeable  phases.  Mr.  Fristadius,  who  is  a  Swede 
by  birth  and  education,  and  occupies  a  prominent  posi 
tion  as  one  of  the  leading  iron-merchants  of  Stockholm, 
was  kind  enough  to  invite  me  to  an  entertainment  at  his 
villa,  situated  about  four  miles  from  the  city,  on  one  of 
the  prettiest  little  islands  in  the  Malar  Lake. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  afternoon,  the  company,  which 
consisted  of  thirty  or  forty  ladies  and  gentlemen,  assem 
bled  by  appointment  at  a  wharf  near  one  of  the  princi 
pal  bridges,  where  a  small  steam-boat  belonging  to  Mr. 
Fristadius  was  in  waiting.  I  was  a  little  astonished,  not 
to  say  taken  aback,  at  the  display  of  elegant  dresses,  liv 
eried  servants,  and  white  kid  gloves  that  graced  the  oc 
casion,  and  looked  at  my  dusty  and  travel-worn  coat, 
slouched  hat,  and  sunburnt  hands — for  which  there  was 
no  remedy — with  serious  thoughts  of  a  hasty  retreat. 
One  doesn't  like  to  be  a  savage  among  civilized  people ; 
yet,  if  one  undertakes  to  travel  with  little  baggage  and 
less  money,  what  can  he  do,  unless  he  holds  himself  aloof 
from  the  world  altogether,  which  is  not  the  best  way  of 
seeing  it?  There  was  no  time  for  reflection,  however ; 
the  whistle  was  blowing,  and  we  were  hurried  on  board 
by  our  kind  host,  who  seemed  determined  to  make  every 
body  as  happy  as  possible.  The  trip  down  the  lake  was 
delightful.  On  either  side  the  hills  and  islands  were 
dotted  with  villas  and  gardens;  sail-boats  were  skim 
ming  over  the  water  with  gay  parties  intent  on  pleasure  ; 
the  views  of  the  city  from  every  turn  were  picturesque 
beyond  description,  and  the  weather  was  quite  enchant 
ing.  As  we  swept  along  on  our  course,  the  gentlemen 


258  THE  LAND  OF  TilUK. 

of  the  party,  who  were  nearly  all  Swedes,  united  in  a 
wild  and  beautiful  Scandinavian  glee,  the  mellow  strains 
of  which  swept  over  the  water,  and  were  echoed  from 
the  wooded  islands  and  shores  of  the  lake  with  a  magnif 
icent  effect.  Whether  it  was  the  scenery,  the  weather, 
or  the  singing,  or  all  combined,  I  could  scarcely  tell,  but 
this  little  trip  was  certainly  an  episode  in  life  to  be  re 
membered  with  pleasure  in  after  years.  In  about  half 
an  hour  we  drew  near  a  perfect  little  Paradise  of  an  isl 
and,  upon  which,  half  hidden  in  shrubbery  and  flowers, 
stood  the  villa  of  our  friend,  Mr.  Fristadius.  Here  were 
winding  graveled  walks  overhung  by  rich  foliage ;  beds 
of  flowers  in  full  bloom ;  grottoes  of  rock  laved  by  the 
waters  of  the  lake ;  immense  boulders  of  granite  sur 
mounted  by  rustic  pavilions  ;  hedges  of  privet  and  haw 
thorn  to  mark  the  by-paths  ;  a  miniature  bridge  from  the 
main  island  across  to  a  smaller  island,  upon  which  stood 
an  aquatic  temple  for  the  fishing-boats  and  gondolas ; 
with  a  wharf  jnjtting  out  into  the  deep  water  at  which 
the  little  steam-boat  landed.  Nothing  could  be  more 
unique  than  the  whole  place.  Nature  and  art  seemed 
to  have  united  to  give  it  the  most  captivating  effects  of 
wildness,  seclusion,  comfort,  and  elegance.  It  was  Cru 
soe-life  idealized.  As  we  approached  the  landing-place, 
the  interesting  family  of  our  host,  surrounded  by  numer 
ous  friends,  stood  upon  a  little  eminence  awaiting  our 
arrival.  While  we  gazed  with  pleasurable  emotions  at 
the  pretty  scene  before  us,  a  most  delicate  and  appropri 
ate  compliment  was  paid  to  our  excellent  minister,  Mr. 
Haldeman,  and  his  accomplished  wife,  who  were  of  the 
party.  The  American  flag  was  hoisted  upon  a  pole  near 
the  landing  by  Mrs.  Fristadius,  and  the  company  with 
one  accord  arose  and  greeted  with  three  cheers  this  glo 
rious  emblem  of  liberty.  I  shall  never  forget  the  min 
gled  feelings  of  pride  and  pleasure  with  which  I  looked 
upon  the  stars  and  stripes  once  more,  after  months  of 
dreary  depression  in  countries  where  freedom  is  but  a 
glimmering  hope  in  the  human  heart.  But  here  in  Swe- 


THE  LAND  OX  THOK.  259 

den  the  spirit  of  our  institutions  is  appreciated;  here  I 
found  myself  surrounded  by  noble  and  trusty  friends  of 
the  American  Union,  loyal  to  their  own  liberal  govern 
ment,  yet  devoted  to  the  great  cause  of  human  freedom 
wherever  it  can  exist  consistently  with  the  progress  of 
the  times  and  the  capacity  of  the  people  for  self-govern 
ment.  As  the  flag  waved  in  the  breeze,  an  inspiring 
song  of  liberty  burst  from  the  joyous  company — one  of 
those  soul-stirring  songs  of  Belman,  which  find  a  re 
sponse  in  the  breast  of  every  Swede — wild,  impassioned, 
and  patriotic,  breathing  in  every  word  and  intonation 
the  chivalrous  spirit  of  men  whose  ancestry  had  fought 
under  the  glorious  banners  of  Gustavus  Adolphus. 

As  soon  as  the  song  was  concluded  the  little  steam 
boat  drew  up  to  the  wharf,  where  we  were  most  kindly 
and  cordially  greeted  by  the  family  of  our  host.  After 
a  pleasant  ramble  about  the  grounds  we  proceeded  to 
the  house,  which  is  situated  on  a  picturesque  eminence 
overlooking  the  lake,  and  the  adjacent  shores  and  islands. 
Here,  in  a  large  and  elegant  saloon,  opening  on  all  sides 
upon  a  spacious  veranda,  a  sumptuous  collation  was 
spread.  The  company  lounged  about  without  ceremo 
ny,  eating,  drinking,  and  enjoying  themselves  as  they 
pleased ;  wit  and  wine  flowed  together,  unrestrained  by 
the  slightest  formality.  In  the  midst  of  our  "feast  of 
reason  and  flow  of  soul,"  Mr.  Fristadius  made  a  neat  and 
appropriate  little  speech  of"  welcome  to  all  his  friends," 
which  was  followed  by  a  song  from  the  musical  gentle 
men  ;  after  which  he  proposed  a  toast  to  a  young  mar 
ried  couple  present.  This  was  followed  by  another  song. 
Then  there  was  a  toast  to  the  American  flag,  another 
speech  and  a  song,  to  which  Mr.  Haldeman,  our  minister, 
responded  in  such  terms  of  enthusiasm  and  compliment 
ary  allusion  to  the  Swedish  nation  that  there  was  a  gen 
eral  outburst  of  applause.  I  had  hoped,  in  view  of  my 
rustic  garb,  to  escape  notice,  and  was  snugly  barricaded 
in  a  corner  behind  a  table,  looking  on  quietly  and  enjoy 
ing  the  scene,  when,  to  my  great  astonishment,  a  toast 


260  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

was  proposed  "  to  the  DISTINGUISHED  TRAVELER  FROM 
CALIFORNIA  !"  In  vain  I  looked  about  me  to  see  if  any 
prominent  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  from  Califor 
nia  would  step  forward  and  answer  to  the  summons,  when 
I  was  gently  but  firmly  captured  by  our  host,  and  duly 
brought  forth  to  respond  to  the  charge !  Never  having 
made  a  speech  in  my  life,  I  could  only  seize  hold  of  a 
wine-glass  (which  I  think  belonged  to  somebody  else), 
and  in  the  confusion  of  the  moment  drink  spontaneously 
to  the  great  traveler  from  California !  Then  there  was 
an  inspiring  glee  from  the  lively  young  gentlemen  who 
did  the  music. 

Thus  passed  the  time  till  dinner  was  over,  when  we 
adjourned  to  the  garden  for  coffee  and  cigars.  Seated 
under  the  wide-spreading  trees,  in  the  balmy  air  of  this 
summer  evening,  we  had  songs  and  recitations  of  Scan 
dinavian  poetry,  anecdotes,  and  humorous  dissertations 
till  nearly  midnight.  I  do  not  remember  that  I  ever 
participated  in  a  more  rational  or  delightful  entertain 
ment.  After  a  farewell  glee  to  our  host  we  marched 
down  to  the  wharf,  where  the  boat  was  in  waiting,  and 
embarked  for  Stockholm.  I  can  only  add  that  I  was 
charmed  with  the  refinement  and  intelligence  of  Swed 
ish  society,  as  far  as  I  could  judge  of  it  by  this  casual 
glimpse.  From  many  of  the  guests  I  received  cordial 
invitations  to  prolong  my  sojourn,  and  the  next  morning 
found  two  or  three  of  the  gentlemen  in  readiness  to  show 
me  every  thing  of  interest  about  the  city. 

We  visited  the  Museum,  where  there  is  an  interesting 
assortment  of  Scandinavian  antiquities,  and  the  palace, 
and  some  half  a  dozen  other  places,  all  of  which  came  in 
the  regular  routine  of  sight-seeing ;  but  the  fact  is,  I  am 
getting  dreadfully  tired  of  this  systematic  way  of  lion 
izing  the  cities  of  Europe.  I  turn  pale  at  the  sight  of  a 
museum,  shudder  at  a  church,  feel  weak  in  the  knees  at 
the  bare  thought  of  a  picture-gallery,  and  as  for  antiqui 
ties,  they  make  my  flesh  creep.  Between  you  and  my 
self,  dear  reader,  I  wouldn't  give  a  sou-markee  for  all  tho 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  261 

old  bones  gathered  up  during  the  last  eighteen  centu 
ries,  unless  to  start  a  bone-mill  and  sell  the  dust  at  a  re 
munerative  profit. 

After  all,  the  more  I  saw  of  Stockholm  the  more  the 
blues  began  to  creep  over  me.  It  is  depressingly  slow 
in  these  far  Northern  cities ;  so  slow,  indeed,  I  don't 
wonder  every  thing  has  a  mildewed  and  sepulchral  as 
pect.  The  houses  look  like  slimy  tombs  in  a  grave 
yard;  the  atmosphere,  when  the  sun  does  not  happen 
to  shine — which  is  more  than  half  the  time — is  dank  and 
flat,  and  hangs  upon  one's  spirits  like  a  nightmare,  crush 
ing  out  by  degrees  the  very  germ  of  vitality.  I  am  not 
surprised  that  paralysis  and  hip -disease  are  frightfully 
prevalent  in  Stockholm. 

Give  me  California  forever — the  land  of  sunshine  and 
progress.  I  have  seen  no  country  like  it  yet.  When  I 
think  of  old  times  there,  a  terrible  home-sickness  takes 
possession  of  me.  So  help  me,  friends  and  fellow-citi 
zens,  I'd  sooner  be  a  pack-mule  in  California  with  a  raw 
back,  and  be  owned  by  a  Mexican  greaser,  employed 
week  in  and  week  out  in  carrying  barrels  of  whisky  over 
the  Downieville  trail,  fed  on  three  grains  of  barley  per 
day,  and  turned  out  to  browse  on  quartz  rock  and  sage- 
bushes  every  night — I'd  rather  be  a  miserable  little  bur 
ro,  kicked  and  cuffed  by  a  Mariposa  Chinaman — I'd  rath 
er  be  a  dog  and  bay  the  moon  in  the  city  of  Oakland,  or 
a  toad  and  feed  upon  the  vapors  of  a  dungeon  at  San 
Quentin  —  I'd  rather  be  a  lamp-post  on  the  corner  of 
Montgomery  Street,  San  Francisco,  and  be  leaned  against, 
and  hugged,  and  kissed  alternately  by  every  loafer  out 
of  the  Montgomery  saloon  —  I'd  rather  be  any  of  these 
than  a  human  being  compelled  to  live  permanently  in 
Europe,  with  a  palace  in  every  city,  town,  and  village, 
and  an  income  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  day  to  defray 
expenses ;  so  don't  be  surprised  if  I  should  turn  up  again 
one  of  these  fine  mornings  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
only  difficulty  at  present  is  —  a  collapse  in  the  financial 
department. 


262  THE  LAND  OF  THOli. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

WALKS    ABOUT   STOCKHOLM. 

IF  yo«  expect  any  very  lively  or  striking  pictures  of 
Stockholm  from  a  tourist  like  myself,  whose  besetting 
trouble  in  life  is  a  constitutional  melancholy,  I  am  afraid 
you  will  be  disappointed.  It  is  beyond  doubt  one  of 
the  most  agreeable  cities  in  the  North,  and,  so  far  as 
public  institutions  are  concerned,  aifords  a  fine  field  of 
research  for  the  antiquarian  and  the  naturalist.  Any 
enterprising  gentleman  who  desires  to  improve  his  mind 
by  the  study  of  Pufiendorf  can  here  find  the  original. 
Linnoeus,  Berzelius,  and  others  will  materially  assist  him 
in  grasping  at  the  mysteries  of  animated  creation ;  and 
if  he  be  of  a  poetical  turn,  he  can  enjoy  Belman  in  the 
unadulterated  Scandinavian  metre.  For  me,  however, 
the  public  museums  and  libraries  possessed  only  an  ex 
ternal  interest.  I  would  gladly  have  .devoted  the  re 
mainder  of  my  life  to  Scandinavian  researches,  but,  hav 
ing  several  other  important  matters  to  attend  to,  I  was 
reluctantly  forced  to  give  up  the  idea.  The  main  object 
at  present  was  to  escape  from  "  an  eternal  lethargy  of 
woe,"  which  seemed  to  grow  worse  and  worse  every 
day.  I  really  had  nothing  particular  to  afflict  me,  yet  I 
both  felt  and  looked  like  "a  man  soue  acquaint  with 
grief."  Day  after  day  I  wandered  about  the  streets  in 
search  of  excitement.  All  in  vain ;  such  a  luxury  is  un 
known  to  strangers  in  Stockholm.  I  visited  the  fruit- 
markets,  jostled  about  among  the  simple  and  kind-heart 
ed  peasants,  bought  bunches  of  cherries  and  baskets  of 
raspberries  from  the  pretty  peasant-girls,  and  then  stood 
eating  my  way  into  their  acquaintance,  while  they 
lauulic'd,  jmd  talked,  and  wondered  where  in  the  world 
such  a  strange  man  came  from,  and  when  I  told  them  I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  263 

came  from  California  tliey  looked  incredulous,  having 
probably  never  heard  of  such  a  country.  Then  I  strolled 
down  through  the  fish-market,  where  there  were  a  great 
many  queer  fish  exposed  for  sale  by  ancient  and  slimy 
old  men  and  women,  whose  hands  and  aprons  were  cov 
ered  with  fish-scales,  and  whose  faces  had  a  very  fishy 
expression.  They  offered  me  fish  in  every  shape — skin 
ned,  gutted,  chopped  up,  or  whole,  just  as  I  pleased  to 
buy  them.  One  wrinkled  old  woman,  with  a  voice  much 
broken  by  shouting  against  the  Gulf  storms  from  high 
rocks,  or  some  such  cause,  called  my  attention  to  a  mon 
ster  fish  that  must  have  weighed  at  least  sixty  pounds, 
and  insisted  upon  letting  me  have  it  at  a  reduced  price. 
I  shook  my  head  and  smiled.  In  that  smile  I  suppose 
the  sagacious  old  fishwoman  discovered  the  pliancy  of 
my  disposition,  for  she  immediately  commenced  a  wild 
harangue  on  the  merits  of  the  fish,  scarcely  a  word  of 
which  I  understood.  Two  or  three  times  I  started  to 
leave,  but  each  time  she  made  a  motion  to  detain  me. 
The  fact  is,  I  was  afraid  she  would  get  hold  of  me  with 
her  fishy  hands,  and  was  considerably  embarrassed  what 
to  do.  The  price  of  the  fish  was  reasonable  enough — 
only  two  marks  (about  forty  cents) ;  but  I  had  no  use 
for  it,  and  did  not  like  to  carry  it  to  my  hotel.  The 
worst  of  it  was,  the  old  woman  thought  the  price  was 
the  only  obstacle,  and  finally  came  down  to  a  mark  and 
a  half.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  From  Billingsgate  to 
Stockholm,  it  is  notorious  that  a  disappointed  fishwoman 
is  a  very  dangerous  and  uncertain  foe  to  be  encountered 
by  any  man,  however  brave.  She  began  to  get  excited 
at  the  bare  prospect  of  having  taken  so  much  trouble  for 
nothing.  Several  of  her  friends  began  to  gather  round. 
A  cold  tremor  ran  through  my  frame.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  possible  way  of  evading  the  purchase  without 
creating  an  unpleasant  scene.  To  make  an  end  of  it,  I 
bought  the  fish.  With  a  bunch  of  grass  wrapped  around 
its  tail,  I  made  my  way  through  the  crowd.  To  be  sure, 
I  felt  a  little  ashamed  to  be  perambulating  the  streets 


264  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

of  a  strange  city  with  a  big  fish  in  my  hand,  yet  I  could 
not  well  throw  it  down  on  the  sidewalk,  and  was  afraid, 
if  I  offered  it  to  some  little  boy,  he  might  stick  his  tongue 
in  his  cheek,  and  ask  me  if  I  saw  any  thing  green  in  the 
corner  of  his  eye.  The  case  was  getting  worse  and 
worse  every  moment.  People  stopped  and  looked  at  me 
as  I  passed.  My  arm  was  getting  tired.  Fortunately, 
I  was  close  to  the  quay.  A  happy  thought  struck  me ; 
I  walked  over  to  the  water's  edge  and  cast  the  fish  into 
his  native  element.  "  Go,"  said  I,  in  the  language  of  my 
uncle  Toby;  "there's  room  enough  in  the  world  for  you 
and  me."  What  the  by-standers  thought  of  the  act  I 
did  not  wait  to  see.  It  was  enough  that  I  was  clear  of 
a  very  unpleasant  companion, though  an  ancient  and  fish- 
like  odor  remained  with  me  for  some  time  after.  As  for 
the  fish,  I  doubt  if  he  ever  came  to  life ;  he  must  have 
been  dead  for  several  days  when  I  bought  him,  judging 
by  a  taint  upon  my  hands,  which  the  best  soap  could  not 
eradicate. 

After  this  I  rambled  gloomily  along  the  quays,  and 
wondered  what  every  body  was  waiting  for.  There  were 
small  .vessels  enough  lying  at  the  wharves,  but  every 
body  on  board  seemed  to  be  taking  it  easy.  Cooks  were 
lying  asleep  on  the  galleys  ;  skippers  were  sitting  on  the 
poop,  smoking  socially  with  their  crews;  small  boys, 
with  red  night-caps  on  their  heads,  were  stretched  out 
upon  the  hatchways,  playing  push-pin,  and  eating  crusts 
of  black  bread ;  stevedores,  with  dusty  sacks  on  their 
shoulders,  were  lounging  about  on  the  wharf,  waiting  for 
something  in  the  way  of  trade  to  turn  up ;  shabby  citi 
zens,  who  seemed  to  be  out  of  profitable  employment, 
were  sitting  on  the  loose  timbers  overlooking  the  water, 
bobbing  for  fish,  and  never  catching  any  so  far  as  I  could 
perceive ;  and  scattering  crowds  of  idlers  were  strolling 
idly  along  like  myself,  in  search  of  something  particular 
to  look  at,  but,  failing  to  discover  it,  they  looked  about 
at  things  generally,  and  then  strolled  on  to  look  at  some 
thing  else.  I  sighed  at  the  stagnation  of  business,  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  265 

hoped  it  would  never  be  my  fate  to  be  engaged  in  mer 
cantile  affairs  in  Stockholm.  Before  the  Gotha  Canal 
was  completed  this  was  a  very  brisk  city ;  but  since  that 
period,  Gottenburg,  being  more  accessible,  has  monopo 
lized  much  of  the  European  trade.  The  principal  trade 
of  Stockholm  now  consists'  of  exports  of  iron,  and  im 
ports  of  sugar,  coffee,  and  liquors.  Throughout  the  in 
terior  the  peasantry  manufacture  most  of  the  articles  re 
quired  for  their  own  use,  such  as  clothing,  implements 
of  husbandry,  etc.,  so  that  they  are  not  large  consumers 
of  foreign  commodities.  Finding  it  very  dull  in  town,  I 
walked  out  in  the  suburbs,  which  are  pretty  and  pictur 
esque,  though  primitive  enough  to  be  a  thousand  miles 
from  a  commercial  city.  The  houses  are  chiefly  construct 
ed  of  wood,  painted  yellow,  with  red  roofs,  and  neatly  or 
namented  with  verandas ;  and  the  people  have  a  quaint 
and  simple  look,  as  if  they  knew  but  little  of  the  world, 
and  did  not  care  much  to  trouble  their  heads  about  the 
progress  of  events.  Here  as  well  as  elsewhere,  children 
continue  to  be  born  in  great  numbers,  and  groups  of  them 
were  to  be  seen  before  every  house  playing  in  the  mud 
just  as  little  cotton-headed  children  play  all  over  the 
world.  I  say  cotton-headed,  because  these  were  of  the 
blue-eyed,  white-haired  race  who  have  a  natural  affinity 
for  muddy  places,  and  whose  cheeks  have  a  natural  pro 
pensity  to  gather  bloom  and  dirt  at  the  same  time. 

I  struck  out  on  the  high  points  of  the  Normalm,  and 
on  one  of  them  discovered  an  old  church,  surrounded  by 
trees,  with  benches  conveniently  placed  beneath  their 
shade  for  weary  pedestrians.  Here  were  family  groups 
quietly  enjoyi»g  the  fresh  air,  the  men  smoking  and 
drinking,  while  the  women  and  girls  economized  time  by 
knitting  and  sewing.  I  took  a  vacant  seat  and  looked 
down  over  the  city.  Surely  a  prettier  prospect  could 
not  exist  upon  earth.  There  lay  the  city  of  the  sea  out 
spread  beneath,  its  irregular  streets,  quaint  old  houses 
and  churches  covering  every  available  space ;  the  numer 
ous  wooded  islands  in  the  vicinity  dotted  with  villas; 

M 


266  THE  LAND  OF  THOR 

sloops  and  boats  floating  dreamily  on  the  Malar  Lake, 
and  larger  vessels  gliding  over  the  waters  of  the  Baltic; 
dense  forests  of  pine  dim  in  the  distance ;  and  over  all 
a  strangely  colored  Northern  light,  that  gave  the  scene 
something  of  a  spectral  aspect.  Yet  the  spirit  of  repose 
that  seemed  cast  over  this  fair  scene  was  absolutely  op 
pressive  to  one  like  myself,  accustomed  to  an  active  life. 
From  the  high  points  I  wandered  down  into  the  low 
places,  through  narrow  and  tortuous  streets ;  gazed  into 
the  stables  and  cow-houses  ;  watched  the  tinners,  and  cop 
persmiths,  and  shoemakers  as  they  wound  up  the  labors 
of  the  day  in  their  dingy  little  shops ;  peered  into  the 
greasy  little  meatshops  and  antiquated  grocely-stores ; 
studied  the  faces  of  the  good  people  who  slowly  wended 
their  way  homeward,  and  bowed  to  several  old  ladies  out 
of  pure  kindliness  and  good  feeling ;  then  wandered  back 
into  the  public  places,  still  pursued  by  a  green  and  yel 
low  melancholy.  I  gazed  steadfastly  at  the  statues  of 
Gustavus  Vasa,  Charles  XII.,  and  Berzelius,  and  tried  in 
vain  to  remember  something  of  their  history.  I  went 
into  the  picture-shops,  took  off  my  hat  to  small  boys  be 
hind  the  counter,  looked  at  the  pictures,  and  bought  sev 
eral,  for  which  I  had  no  earthly  use ;  then  I  went  to  the 
cafe  on  the  bridge,  drank  coifee  and  cognac,  and  attempt 
ed  to  read  the  Swedish  newspapers,  of  which  I  under 
stood  every  letter,  but  not  a  word  ;  after  which  I  heard 
the  whistle  of  a  small  steam-boat  at  the  end  of  the  cafe 
garden,  and  ran  down  in  a  hurry  to  get  on  board.  The 
steam-boat  was  about  equal  to  a  good-sized  yawl,  and  was 
bound  for  some  port  unknown  to  me ;  but  that  made  no 
difference.  I  never  see  a  boat  of  any  land  going  any 
where,  or  a  locomotive,  or  a  carriage,  or  any  thing  that 
moves  by  steam,  sails,  horse-power,  or  electricity,  with 
out  feeling  an  unconquerable  desire  to  be  off  too,  so  that 
I  very  much  fear,  if  I  should  come  across  a  convict  ves 
sel  bound  for  Van  Diemen's  Land,  it  would  be  impossi 
ble  for  me  to  avoid  jumping  on  board  and  going  with 
the  crowd.  In  the  present  case  it  was  essentially  neces- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  267 

sary  that  I  should  keep  moving.  I  was  almost  sinking 
under  the  oppressive  loneliness  of  the  place.  Rather 
than  remain  another  hour  within  the  limits  of  such  a 
dreary  old  city,  I  would  have  taken  passage  in  a  tread 
mill,  and  relied  upon  the  force  of  imagination  to  carry 
me  to  some  other  place.  Nay,  a  hangman's  cart  on  the 
way  to  the  gallows  would  have  presented  a  strong  temp 
tation.  In  saying  this  I  mean  nothing  disrespectful  to 
Birger  Jarl,  who  founded  Stockholm,  and  made  it  his 
place  of  residence  in  1260;  nor  to  Christina  Gyllenstier- 
na,  who  so  heroically  defended  it  against  Christian  IT.  of 
Denmark  in  the  sixteenth  century ;  nor  to  Gustavus  Vasa, 
the  brave  liberator  of  Sweden  ;  nor  his  noble  and  heroic 
grandson,  Gustavus  Adolphus ;  nor  any  body  else  famous 
in  Swedish  history  ;  but  the  truth  of  it  is,  Sweden  at  the 
present  day  is  essentially  a  home  country,  and  the  people 
are  too  domestic  in  their  habits  and  modes  of  thought  to 
afford  any  peculiar  interest  to  a  casual  tourist.  I  like 
their  simple  and  genial  manners,  and  respect  them  for 
their  sterling  integrity,  yet  these  are  traits  of  no  great 
value  to  one  who  travels  so  far  out  of  the  world  in  search 
of  objects  of  more  stirring  interest.  The  ordinary  trav 
eler,  who  has  no  time  to  dive  very  deep  beneath  the  sur 
face  of  human  life,  is  not  satisfied  to  find  things  nearly 
as  he  finds  them  at  home  ;  streets,  shops,  and  houses  un 
distinguished  by  any  peculiarity  save  the  inconveniences 
and  oddities  of  age ;  people  every  where  around  him 
who  dress  like  all  other  civilized  people,  and  possess  the 
standard  virtues  and  weaknesses  of  humanity ;  the  pro 
prieties  of  life  decently  observed,  and  loyalty  to  forms 
and  time-honored  usages  a  national  characteristic.  A 
Swede  would  no  more  violate  a  rule  of  etiquette,  smile 
or  bow  out  of  place,  eat  a  beefsteak  or  drink  his  schnapps 
at  an  unusual  hour,  or  strike  out  any  thing  novel  or  orig 
inal  in  the  way  of  pleasure,  profit,  or  enterprise,  than  a 
German.  The  court  circle  is  the  most  formal  in  Europe, 
and  the  upper  classes  of  society  are  absolute  slaves  to 
conventionality.  A  presentation  at  court  is  an  event  of 


268  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

such  signal  importance  that  weeks  of  preparation  are  re 
quired  for  the  impressive  ordeal ;  and  when  the  tailor, 
and  shoemaker,  and  the  jeweler  have  done  their  part, 
and  the  unhappy  victim,  all  bedeviled  with  finery  and  be- 
frogged  with  lace,  is  brought  into  the  presence  of  royal 
ty,  it  is  a  miracle  if  he  gets  through  without  committing 
some  dire  oifense  against  the  laws  of  etiquette.  Fine 
carriages,  coats  of  arms,  uniforms,  and  badges  of  office, 
are  held  in  high  veneration  ;  and  while  the  government 
is  liberal  and  the  people  profess  to  be  independent,  their 
slavish  devotion  to  rank,  dress,  and  etiquette  surpasses 
any  thing  I  saw  in  Russia.  With  this,  to  be  sure,  is 
mingled  a  certain  simplicity  of  manner  and  kindliness 
of  expression  toward  inferiors  which  sometimes  lead  the 
stranger  to  believe  that  he  is  among  a  democratic  peo 
ple,  but  they  are  as  far  from  democracy  as  the  Prussians 
or  the  Austrians.  The  very  afiability  of  the  superior  to 
the  inferior  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  inseparable  gulf 
that  lies  between  them.  In  Russia  there  is  the  charm 
of  barbarism,  savagery,  filth,  and  show ;  the  people  are 
loose,  ferocious,  daring,  and  wild ;  here  in  Sweden,  the 
quiet,  decent,  home-aspect  of  the  people,  their  rigid  ob 
servance  of  the  rules  of  etiquette,  their  devotion  to  royal 
ty,  law,  and  order,  are  absolutely  depressing.  In  the  ab 
stract,  many  traits  in  their  character  are  worthy  of  ad 
miration,  but  as  a  traveler  I  detest  this  kind  of  civiliza 
tion.  Give  me  a  devil  or  a  savage  at  all  times,  who  out 
rages  the  rules  of  society  and  carries  an  advertisement 
of  character  on  his  back.  As  an  artist  I  can  make  some 
thing  of  him,  either  in  the  way  of  copy  or  pencil-sketches. 
Which  brings  me  back  to  my  situation,  in  the  natural 
course  of  events.  The  whistle  blows.  The  little  steam 
boat  is  about  to  stop  at  the  landing-place  of  the  Djur- 
gaard.  The  engineer,  smutty  and  oily  with  hard  service, 
gives  a  turn  to  the  crank,  pulls  an  iron  bar  with  a  pol 
ished  handle,  and  then  pushes  it;  the  tea-kettle  boiler 
li/./cs  and  whizzes,  and  lets  off  steam;  the  paddles- stop 
paddling  ;  the  gentlemen  passengers  stand  up  and  adjust 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  269 

their  shirt  collars ;  the  ladies  gather  their  shawls  around 
them,  and  pick  up  their  scattered  bundles  ;  with  a  whirl 
and  a  jerk  we  are  alongside  the  wharf,  and  the  captain 
jumps  from  the  bow  with  a  rope  in  his  hand,  and  makes 
all  fast  to  a  logger-head.  And  now  step  ashore,  if  you 
please,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  let  us  take  a  stroll 
through  the  deer  garden,  where 

"The  ash  and  warrior  oak 
Cast  anchor  in  the  rifted  rock." 

The  walks  through  this  beautiful  park  (said  to  be  the 
finest  attached  to  any  capital  in  Europe)  are  broad,  and 
handsomely  graded.  Grand  old  forest-trees  on  either 
side  make  "  a  boundless  contiguity  of  shade"  over  the 
greensward.  Pavilions  and  rustic  summer-houses  stand 
on  the  high  points  of  rock,  commanding  magnificent 
views  of  the  adjacent  islands  and  waters  of  the  lake. 
Flower-gardens  are  numerous,  and  every  nook  and  dell 
contains  some  place  of  refreshment,  where  the  gay  com 
pany  who  frequent  these  delightful  grounds  in  the  long 
summer  evenings  can  drink  their  tea  and  enjoy  the  va 
ried  beauties  of  the  scene.  Wandering  through  these 
sylvan  glades,  the  eye  is  continually  charmed  with  the 
rare  combinations  of  natural  and  artificial  beauties  scat 
tered  around  in  every  direction  with  such  wonderful 
prodigality.  At  one  moment  you  imagine  yourself  in  a 
wilderness,  hundreds  of  miles  from  any  human  habita 
tion,  so  dense  are  the  shades  of  the  grand  old  forest- 
trees,  and  so  wild  and  rugged  the  moss-covered  rocks ; 
a  few  steps  bring  you  suddenly  upon  some  fairy  scene, 
where  palaces  and  temples,  gilded  carriages,  gayly-dress- 
ed  companies  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  groups  of  chil 
dren  sporting  upon  the  grass,  dispel  the  illusion.  As 
cending  to  the  highest  points  by  the  narrow  and  tortu 
ous  by-paths,  I  could  almost  fancy  myself  in  the  midst 
of  the  Coast  Range,  so  perfect  was  the  isolation ;  then 
coming  out  suddenly  upon  some  projecting  cliff,  the 
change  of  scene  from  rugged  grandeur  to  the  perfection 
of  civilization  was  absolutely  magical.  Vegetation  in 


270  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

this  northern  region,  where  the  summers  are  so  short 
and  warm,  flourishes  with  an  almost  tropical  luxuriance. 
The  melting  of  the  snows  in  spring,  followed  by  heavy 
rains  and  sudden  heat,  causes  the  earth  to  give  forth  its 
products  with  a  prodigality  that  compensates  in  some 
degree  for  the  long  and  dreary  winters.  Trees  burst 
into  leaf  as  if  by  magic ;  flowers  shoot  up  and  bloom  in 
a  few  weeks;  the  grass,  enriched  by  the  snows,  springs 
forth  and  covers  the  earth  like  a  gorgeous  carpet  of  vel 
vet.  All  nature  rejoices  in  the  coming  of  the  long  sum 
mer  days.  The  birds  sing  in  the  groves;  the  bees  hum 
merrily  around  the  flowers;  the  gay  butterflies  .flit 
through  the  sunbeams ;  and  day  and  night  are  an  almost 
continued  period  of  revelry  for  all  those  beautiful  and 
ephemeral  creatures  that  droop  and  die  with  the  flowers. 
I  have  nowhere  seen  such  a  profusion  of  intensely  rich 
green  and  such  wonderfully  deep  shades  as  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Stockholm.  It  is  almost  oppressive  to  one 
accustomed  to  California  scenery,  where  the  whole  face 
of  the  country  wears  a  dry  red-arid-yellowish  hue  in  sum 
mer.  Strange  how  one's  tastes  change  by  association ! 
I  well  remember  when  I  first  entered  the  Golden  Gate,  in 
August,  1849,  after  a  long  and  dreary  voyage  round  Cape 
Horn.  Glad  as  I  was  to  see  land  once  more,  it  struck 
me  that  I  had  never  looked  upon  so  barren  and  desolate 
a  country.  The  hill-sides  had  the  appearance  of  parched 
and  sodless  deserts.  Yet  I  soon  learned  to  like  that 
warm  glow.  I  slept  upon  those  parched  hills,  breathed 
the  invigorating  air,  and  felt  the  inspiration  of  California 
life.  I  would  not  now  exchange  the  summer  drapery  of 
our  hills  and  valleys  for  the  deepest  green  upon  earth. 
To  my  present  frame  of  mind  there  is  something  flat  and 
chilling  in  this  redundancy  of  verdure  that  reminds  one 
of  death  and  the  grave-yard.  The  moss-covered  rocks 
jutting  from  the  cold,  grassy  earth ;  the  dripping  fern ; 
the  pale,  flitting  gleams  of  sunshine  struggling  through 
the  depths  of  foliage;  the  mould  that  seems  to  hang  in 
the  air — all  these  strike  me  us  death-like.  I  long  for  the 


.THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  271 

vital  glow  of  a  more  genial  sun,  whose  all-pervading  light 
is  reflected  from  the  rich  golden  earth,  shooting  health 
and  vigor  through  every  fibre  of  the  frame,  permeating 
body  and  soul  with  its  effulgence.  Such  intensity  of 
light,  such  warmth  of  colors,  fill  the  dullest  mind  with 
inspiration ;  the  blood  is  quickened  in  its  circulation; 
the  respiration  is  full  and  free ;  the  intellect  becomes 
clearer  and  sharper;  the  whole  man  is  quickened  into 
the  highest  condition  of  mental  and  physical  vitality.  Is 
it  a  matter  of  wonder,  then,  that  the  people  of  California 
should  be  brave,  generous,  and  loyal — that  they  should 
have  a  high  sense  of  right,  and  an  undying  scorn  of 
wrong  ?  I  hold  that  the  species  is  improved  by  the  cli 
mate  and  the  country — that  stronger  men  and  better 
men  are  now  undergoing  the  process  of  development  in 
California  than  in  any  other  country  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  If  we  live  fast  and  die  suddenly,  it  is  the  natu 
ral  consequence  of  increased  bodily  and  mental  vigor, 
which  too  often  leads  to  excesses,  but  which,  under  prop 
er  training,  must  eventually  lead  to  the  highest  moral 
and  intellectual  achievements.  The  fault  does  not  lie  in 
our  climate.  I  have  yet  seen  none  to  equal  it  North  or 
South — not  even  in  Italy.  I  do  not  think  the  climate  of 
Sweden  is  conducive  to  longevity,  or  extraordinary  men 
tal  or  bodily  vigor.  Indeed,  the  same  may  be  said  of 
any  climate  abounding  in  such  rigorous  extremes.  The 
Swedes,  it  is  true,  lead  a  placid  and  easy  life,  content 
with  ordinary  comforts,  and  worried  by  no  exciting  or 
disquieting  ambitions ;  hence  they  enjoy  good  health, 
and  generally  get  through  the  usual  span  allotted  to  man. 
If  the  same  sanitary  rules  were  observed  in  our  country, 
there  would  be  less  sickness  and  fewer  untimely  deaths. 
Dissipation  is  not  rare  in  Sweden,  especially  in  the  capi 
tal  cities,  but  it  is  more  methodical  with  us.  The  peo 
ple  have  certain  times  and  occasions  for  getting  drunk ; 
they  make  a  regular  business  of  it.  Virulent  and  dis 
gusting  diseases  are  also  prevalent  among  them,  so  that 
bet \veen  the  rigors  of  climate  and  other  causes  less  ex- 


272  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

cusable,  they  frequently  appear  old  and  decrepit  before 
their  time.  That  among  the  middle  classes  there  are 
fine-looking  men  and  beautiful  women,  is  true;  that  in 
literature,  science,  and  music,  they  can  boast  names  that 
will  go  down  to  posterity,  is  a  fact  that  can  not  be  de 
nied  ;  but  I  think  such  a  climate  and  the  habits  engen 
dered  by  it  are  inimical  to  the  highest  order  of  physical 
and  mental  development  among  the  masses.  Hence  we 
tind  throughout  the  country  many  diseased  and  deform 
ed  persons  of  both  sexes ;  many  weakly  and  not  a  few 
imbecile.  The  peasants  are  not  so  hardy  and  robust  as 
I  expected  to  find  them ;  and  I  was  told  by  competent 
judges,  better  informed  than  I  could  hope  to  become 
during  so  brief  a  sojourn,  that  they  are  progressively  de 
generating  year  after  year,  and  can  not  now  compare 
with  the  peasants  of  former  times. 

To  say  that  I  was  charmed  with  my  ramble  through 
the  Djurgaard  would  but  faintly  express  the  pleasure  I 
derived  from  my  visit  to  this  beautiful  park.  Of  all  the 
resorts  for  recreation  that  I  have  yet  seen  in  Northern 
Europe,  I  give-  it  the  palm  for  natural  beauty  and  taste 
ful  cultivation.  In  this  the  Swedes  excel.  Their  villas, 
gardens,  and  parks  are  unsurpassed,  and  no  people  in  the 
world  better  understand  how  to  enjoy  them. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  returned  to  my  hotel,  delighted 
with  all  I  had  seen.  I  was  anxious  to  extend  my  ram 
bles  to  Upsala,  and  to  visit  more  in  detail  the  various 
beautiful  islands  and  places  of  interest  in  the  vicinity  of 
Stockholm;  but  the  season  was  advancing,  and  I  was 
reluctantly  compelled  to  push  on  toward  Norway. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    GOTHA    CANAL. 

ON  a  pleasant  morning  in  August  I  called  for  my  bill 
at  the  "  Stadt  Frankfurt."  The  landlady,  a  blooming 
young  woman  of  rather  vivacious  and  persuasive  man- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  273 

ners,  wished  me  such  a  delightful  journey,  and  looked  so 
sorry  I  was  going,  that  I  could  not  muster  resolution 
enough  to  complain  of  the  various  caudles  that  were 
never  burnt,  and  the  numerous  services  that  were  never 
rendered,  except  in  the  bill ;  and  had  she  charged  me 
for  washing  my  own  face  and  putting  on  my  own  boots, 
I  fear  the  result  would  have  been  the  same.  Wishing 
her  a  happy  future,  I  shouldered  my  knapsack,  which  by 
this  time  contained  only  two  shirts,  an  old  pair  of  stock 
ings,  and  some  few  flowers  and  stones  from  celebrated 
places,  and,  thus  accoutred  for  the  journey,  made  my  way 
down  toRiddarholm  Quay.  In  a  dingy  old  office,  abound 
ing  in  cobwebs,  a  dingy  old  gentleman,  who  spoke  En 
glish,  sold  me  a  second-class  ticket  for  Gottenburg.  The 
little  steamer  upon  which  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  se 
cure  a  passage  was  called  the  Admiral  Von  Flatten,  a 
name  famous  in  the  history  of  Swedish  enterprise.  It 
was  Von  Flatten  who,  in  1808,  took  charge  of  the  great 
work  of  internal  improvement  known  as  the  West  Gotha 
Canal,  and  by  the  aid  of  Telford,  the  celebrated  English 
engineer,  carried  it  into  successful  operation  in  1822. 
The  project  of  connecting  the  lakes  of  Wenern  and  Wet- 
tern,  and  forming  a  water  communication  all  the  way  be 
tween  Stockholm  and  Gottenburg,  was  entertained  at  a 
very  early  day  by  the  different  sovereigns  and  scientific 
men  of  Sweden.  Bishop  Brask  in  1516,  Gustavus  I., 
Charles  IX.,  Swedenborg,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  oth 
ers,  took  particular  interest  in  it,  and  some  progress  was 
made  in  the  building  of  locks  and  opening  of  short  pas 
sages  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Dan 
iel  Thunberg  contributed  materially  to  the  opening  of 
the  route  between  Wenern  and  the  Baltic ;  and  Colonel 
N".  Eriksson,  the  celebrated  engineer  whose  reputation 
stands  so  high  in  the  United  States,  had  the  direction  of 
the  work  for  many  years.  It  was  not,  however,  till  1844 
that  the  entire  work  was  fully  completed,  although  some 
years  prior  to  that  time  the  two  seas  were  connected 
and  open  to  navigation.  The  immense  expense  of  this 
M2 


274  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

enterprise ;  the  extraordinary  natural  obstacles  that  have 
been  overcome ;  the  patience  and  perseverance  with 
which  it  has  been  carried  into  practical  operation ;  the 
magnitude  and  durability  of  the  work,  can  only  be  ap 
preciated  by  one  who  has  made  the  trip  through  Sweden 
by  this  route.  It  is  certainly  the  grandest  triumph  re 
corded  in  Swedish  history.  It  will  exist  and  benefit  gen 
erations  to  come,  when  the  names  of  her  kings,  warriors, 
and  statesmen  shall  be  known  only  to  antiquarians. 

The  steamers  now  plying  on  this  route  are  small,  but 
well  arranged  for  the  accommodation  of  passengers. 
There  is  a  first  and  second  cabin,  and  a  restaurant  at 
which  the  traveler  can  call  for  what  he  desires,  and,  pro 
vided  his  tastes  are  not  eccentric,  generally  get  what  he 
calls  for.  The  waiters  are  simple-minded,  kind-hearted, 
and  sociable ;  sit  down  and  gossip  with  the  passengers 
(at  least  those  of  the  second  class),  and,  what  seems  rath 
er  novel  and  amusing  to  a  stranger,  leave  the  bill  to  be 
made  out  and  summed  up  by  the  passengers  themselves. 
A  general  account-book  is  left  open  in  the  cabin,  in  which 
it  is  expected  every  traveler  will  set  down  his  name  and 
keep  his  own  account.  At  the  end  of  the  trip,  the  head 
waiter  goes  the  rounds  of  the  cabin  and  deck,  book  in 
hand,  and  asks  the  passengers  to  designate  their  names 
and  sum  up  their  accounts.  Nobody  seems  to  think  of 
cheating  or  being  cheated.  There  is  something  so  prim 
itive  in  this  way  of  dealing  on  a  public  highway  between 
two  commercial  cities,  that  I  was  quite  charmed  with  it, 
and  have  some  thoughts  of  recommending  it  to  the  Cal 
ifornia  Steam  Navigation  Company.  Just  think  what  a 
pleasure  it  would  be  to  travel  from  San  Francisco  to  Sac 
ramento,  and  keep  the  record  of  your  own  bitters  and 
cigars,  to  say  nothing  of  your  supper  and  berth !  I  am 
certain  the  plan  would  be  approved' by  a  majority  of  the 
traveling  public  throughout  the  state. 

The  company  on  board  these  little  Swedish  steamers 
is  generally  plain,  sociable,  and  intelligent.  Among  the 
passengers  I  met  many  who  spoke  English  and  German, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  275 

and  few  who  did  not  speak  at  least  one  language  in  ad 
dition  to  their  own.  In  midsummer  the  trip  from  Stock 
holm  to  Gottenburg  usually  takes  three  days,  though  it 
is  sometimes  accomplished  in  two.  The  distance  is  about 
three  hundred  and  seventy  miles  by  the  shortest  route, 
through  the  "Wettern  and  Wenern  lakes.  Time,  howev 
er,  is  no  great  object  in  Sweden,  and  a  day  or  two  more 
or  less  makes  no  great  difierence.  The  beauty  of  the 
scenery,  and  the  diversity  of  land  and  water,  render  the 
trip  one  of  the  most  agreeable  in  Northern  Europe,  and 
for  one  I  can  safely  say  it  would  have  pleased  me  all  the 
better  had  it  lasted  longer. 

Leaving  the  Riddarholm  Quay,  our  route  lay  for  the 
first  four  hours  through  the  Malar  Lake.  The  weather 
was  delightful,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the 
water.  Sloops  and  wood-boats  lay  floating  upon  its 
glassy  surface  without  perceptible  motion.  All  along  on 
either  side  beautiful  villas  peeped  from  the  umbrageous 
shores  and  islands.  Behind  us,  the  city  loomed  up  in  all 
its  queenly  beauty,  the  numerous  churches  and  public 
buildings  presented  in  majestic  outline  against  the  sky, 
while  the  forest  of  shipping  at  the  quays  added  a  more 
stirring  and  vital  interest  to  the  scene.  As  we  turned 
the  last  promontory  to  the  right,  and  took  a  lingering 
look  at  this  charming  "  city  of  the  sea,"  I  thought  I  had 
never  enjoyed  a  more  enchanting  coup  tfceil.  The  sub 
urbs  of  Stockholm ;  the  numerous  little  islands,  with  their 
rich  green  shrubbery ;  the  villas  and  gardens  ;  the  spark 
ling  vistas  of  water,  form  a  combination  of  beauties  rare 
ly  to  be  met  with  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  No 
wonder  the  Swedes  regard  their  capital  as  a  paradise.  I 
fully  agree  with  them  that  in  summer  it  deserves  all  their 
praise  ;  but  I  should  prefer  a  warmer  and  more  genial 
paradise  for  winter  quarters.  Earthen  stoves  and  hot- 
air  furnaces  are  hot  in  any  of  the  seven  heavens  that  oc 
cur  in  my  imagination. 

Before  many  hours  we  passed  a  point  somewhat  cel 
ebrated  in  Swedish  history.  On  a  high  peak  of  rock, 


•27(3  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

hanging  upon  a  pole,  is  a  prodigious  iron  hat,  said  to  be 
the  identical  "stove-pipe"  worn  by  one  of  the  old  Swed 
ish  kings  —  a  terrible  fellow,  who  was  in  the  habit  of 
slaying  hundreds  of  his  enemies  with  his  own  hand. 
This  famous  old  king  must  have  been  a  giant  in  stature. 
Judging  by  his  hat,  as  Professor  Agassiz  judges  offish 
by  their  scales,  he  must  have  been  forty  feet  high,  by 
about  ten  or  fifteen  broad ;  and  if  his  strength  corre 
sponded  with  his  gigantic  proportions,  I  fancy  he  could 
have  knocked  the  gable-end  off  a  house  with  a  single 
blow  of  his  fist,  or  kicked  the  head  out  of  a  puncheon  of 
rum,  and  swallowed  the  contents  at  a  single  draught, 
without  the  least  difficulty.  His  hat  probably  weighs  a 
hundred  pounds — enough  to  give  any  ordinary  man  a 
severe  headache.  Here  it  has  stood  for  centuries,  in 
commemoration  of  his  last  struggle.  Besieged  by  an 
overwhelming  force  of  his  enemies,  as  the  chronicle  goes, 
he  slew  some  thousands  of  them,  but,  being  finally  hard 
pressed,  he  lost  his  iron  hat  in  the  fight,  r.nd  then  plunged 
headlong  into  the  lake.  Some  historians  assert  that  he 
took  to  water  to  avoid  capture ;  but  I  incline  to  the  opin 
ion  myself  that  he  did  it  to  cool  his  head.  At  all  events, 
the  record  ends  at  this  point.  We  are  unable  to  learn  any 
thing  more  of  his  fate.  These  Northern  races  are  strong 
believers  in  their  own  aboriginal  history,  and  although 
there  may  be  much  in  this  that  would  require  the  very 
best  kind  of  testimony  before  a  California  jury,  the  slight 
est  hint  of  a  doubt  as  to  its  truth  would  probably  be 
taken  as  a  personal  offense  by  any  public  spirited  Swede. 
In  that  respect,  thank  fortune,  I  am  gifted  with  a  most 
accommodating  disposition.  I  can  believe  almost  any 
thing  under  the  sun.  Giants  and  genii  are  nothing  to 
what  my  credulity  is  capable  of;  and  as  for  fairies  and 
hobgoblins,  I  can  swallow  them  by  wholesale.  There  is 
only  one  thing  in  this  world  that  I  entertain  the  least 
doubt  about — the  title  to  my  house  and  lot  in  Oakland. 
Upon  that  point  I  question  if  it  ever  will  be  possible  for 
human  evidence  to  satisfy  me.  Three  times  I  paid  for 


THE  LAND  OF  THOli.  277 

it,  and  each  time  every  body  considered  it  perfect  except 
myself.  I  expect  daily  to  hear  of  another  title,  of  which 
I  trust  some  enterprising  gentleman  in  want  of  funds 
will  advise  me.  It  will  be  a  source  of  consolation  to 
know  that  I  was  not  mistaken. 

Situated  near  the  entrance  of  the  canal,  on  the  left 
bank,  is  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Soderkoping,  celebra 
ted  for  its  mineral  springs,  to  which  the  people  of  Stock 
holm  resort  in  great  numbers  during  the  summer  for 
health  and  recreation.  The  scene  as  we  approached  was 
very  pretty.  Pine  and  oak  forests  cover  the  granite  hills 
for  many  miles  around,  relieved  by  occasional  openings 
dotted  with  villas,  gardens,  and  farms ;  and  the  dark  red 
wooden  houses  of  the  town  have  a  singularly  pleasant 
effect  glimmering  in  the  sunbeams  through  the  rich 
masses  of  foliage  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  Groups 
of  visitors  stood  at  the  locks  awaiting  the  news  from  the 
city,  or  anxiously  looking  out  for  the  familiar  faces  of 
relatives  and  friends,  while  the  lock-men  slowly  and  me 
thodically  performed  their  accustomed  routine  of  labors. 
Soderkoping  is  a  very  ancient  town,  and  in  former  times 
enjoyed  considerable  importance  as  a  mart  of  commerce. 
Passing  through  a  narrow  stretch  of  canal,  some  miles 
in  length,  overhung  by  trees  and  rocks  on  the  right,  and 
affording  some  pleasant  views  of  the  rich  valley  to  the 
left,  the  banks  gradually  widened  till  we  entered  a  beau 
tiful  little  lake,  leading,  after  a  short  passage,  to  the  wa 
ters  of"  the  Roxen.  The  narrow  parts  of  the  canal  are 
difficult  of  navigation,  owing  to  the  various  turns  and 
the  solid  masses  of  rock  through  which  it  is  cut ;  and 
the  steamer  sometimes  proceeds  very  slowly,  carefully 
feeling  her  way  along,  till  an  open  space  affords  an  op 
portunity  of  going  ahead  at  a  more  rapid  rate.  In  the 
mean  time  the  passengers  are  all  ou  ton  the  decks,  sha 
ded  by  an  awning,  enjoying  themselves  in  the  most  un 
ceremonious  manner,  laughing  and  talking  in  groups, 
sipping  their  coffee,  or  promenading  up  and  down  to  en 
joy  the  sweet-scented  breeze  from  the  neighboring  hills. 


278  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

The  Roxen  Lake,  through  which  we  next  passed,  is  some 
seventeen  miles  long  by  seven  broad,  and  is  justly  re 
garded  as  one  of  the  loveliest  sheets  of  water  in  all  Swe 
den.  The  shores  are  neither  very  high  nor  very  grand, 
but  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  any  thing  more  charm 
ing  than  the  rich  coloring  of  the  rocks,  their  varied  out 
lines,  the  luxuriance  of  the  forests,  and  the  crystal  clear 
ness  of  the  water.  Villages  and  farms  are  seen  at  occa 
sional  intervals  in  the  distance,  and  sloops,  with  their 
sails  hanging  idly  against  their  masts,  float  upon  the  pla 
cid  surface  of  the  lake  as  upon  a  mirror.  Indeed,  so  per 
fect  is  the  inversion,  that  the  eye  can  scarcely  determine 
how  much  is  real  and  how  much  the  result  of  optical  illu 
sion.  Passing  in  sight  of  the  town  of  Linkoping,  which 
lies  to  the  left,  we  soon  reached  the  entrance  of  the  West 
Gotha  Canal,  which  here  makes  a  direct  ascent  from  the 
waters  of  the  Roxen  of  seventy-five  feet.  At  this  point 
there  are  eleven  locks,  seven  of  which  are  closely  con 
nected,  and  the  remainder  separated  by  short  stretches 
of  canal.  Near  at  hand  is  a  pretty  little  village  to  the 
left,  famous  for  its  church,  the  Vretakloster,  built  in  the 
Gothic  style  in  1128,  by  Inge  II.,  one  of  the  early  kings 
of  Sweden.  While  the  steamer  was  slowly  toiling  through 
the  locks,  a  party  of  the  passengers,  including  myself, 
paid  a  visit  to  the  church,  and,  aided  by  a  venerable  sa 
cristan,  saw  all  that  was  to  be  seen  in  it,  chief  among 
which  are  the  tombs  of  the  kings  and  the  arms  of  the 
Douglas  family,  those  warlike  Scots  who  took  such  an 
active  part  in  the  military  exploits  of  Sweden  during  the 
Thirty  Years'  War.  The  walk  was  a  pleasant  relief  aft 
er  our  trip  across  the  lake,  and  on  our  return  by  n  short 
cut  to  the  upper  locks  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  the 
wood-covered  shore  and  glistening  waters  of  the  Roxen, 
now  fading  away  in  the  rich  twilight.  The  steamer  oc 
cupies  about  an  hour  and  a  half  in  getting  through  the 
locks,  and  most  of  the  passengers  take  advantage  of  the 
delay  to  stroll  about  among  the  neighboring  cottages 
and  gardens,  and  enjoy  the  various  refreshments  offered 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  279 

for  sale  at  the  pavilions  and  tents  erected  near  the  upper 
extremity  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers.  Fresh 
milk,  raspberries,  coffee,  sweet  cakes,  and  ale  are  the  prin 
cipal  articles  furnished  at  these  places.  Notwithstand 
ing  there  was  an  abundant  supply  of  luxuries  on  board, 
every  body  seemed  to  be  hungry  and  thirsty  on  getting 
ashore.  The  rapidity  with  which  the  plates,  cups,  and 
glasses  were  emptied  was  really  surprising,  and  would 
have  done  credit  to  a  crowd  of  Californians,  who,  I  think, 
can  eat  more  and  drink  more  in  a  given  time  than  any 
race  of  men  upon  the  earth. 

The  canal  for  some  distance  beyond  the  locks  is  quite 
narrow — often  barely  wide  enough  for  two  steamers  to 
pass.  On  the  left  the  banks  rise  to  a  considerable  height, 
and  then  gradually  decline  till  the  canal  passes  along  a 
ridge,  high  above  the  surrounding  country.  The  eifect 
in  these  places  is  very  peculiar.  The  overhanging  trees 
almost  unite  their  branches  over  the  chimney  of  the 
steamer  as  she  wends  her  way  slowly  and  steadily  along ; 
deep  ravines  extend  downward  into  an  impenetrable 
abyss  on  either  side  ;  the  sky  glimmers  through  the  foli 
age  in  a  horizontal  line  with  the  eye,  and  one  can  almost 
fancy  the  world  has  been  left  below  somewhere,  and  that 
a  new  highway  has  been  entered,  upon  which  passengers 
steam  their  way  to  the  stars.  I  am  quite  certain,  if  we 
had  kept  a  direct  course  long  enough,  we  would  have 
reached  the  moon  or  some  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 

It  was  late  at  night  when  we  reached  the  Boren  Lake, 
another  of  those  natural  highways  that  lie  between  the 
Baltic  and  the  North  Sea.  This  lake  is  comparatively 
small,  but  it  abounds  in  rocky  islands  and  shoals  which 
render  the  navigation  through  it  rather  intricate.  A  pi 
lot  is  taken  on  board  at  the  entrance  of  each  lake,  and 
discharged  upon  reaching  the  next  canal  station. 

I  remained  on  deck  until  midnight,  enjoying  the 
strange  and  beautiful  lights  spread  over  the  heavens  in 
this  latitude,  and  was  reluctant  even  then  to  lose  the 
views  during  nny  part  of  the  journey.  Nature,  however, 


280  THE  LAND  OF  THOR 

can  not  be  defrauded  of  her  legitimate  demands  even  by 
the  beauties  of  scenery,  and  I  went  below  to  sleep  out 
the  remainder  of  the  night.  My  berth  was  in  the  for 
ward  cabin,  where  t'wenty  or  thirty  passengers  were  al 
ready  stretched  out — some  on  the  tables,  some  on  the 
floor,  and  as  many  as  could  find  room  were  snoring  away 
in  the  temporary  berths  erected  on  the  seats  for  their  ac 
commodation.  Toward  morning  I  was  suddenly  aroused 
by  a  strange  and  jarring  motion  of  the  boat,  accompa 
nied  by  a  grating  sound.  It  seemed  as  if  an  earthquake 
were  throwing  us  up  out  of  the  water ;  yet  the  shocks 
were  more  sudden  and  violent  than  any  I  had  ever  be 
fore  experienced.  Many  of  the  passengers  were  cast  out 
of  their  berths,  and  the  glass  and  crockery  in  the  pantry 
went  crashing  over  the  floor.  Scarcely  conscious  wheth 
er  I  was  dreaming  or  awake,  I  grasped  a  post,  and  sprang 
out  on  a  pile  of  baggage,  but  was  immediately  precipi 
tated  across  the  cabin.  Fortunately  I  fell  against  the 
chambermaid,  and  Buffered  no  injury.  Amid  the  confu 
sion  worse  confounded,  the  screams  of  the  women  down 
below,  the  crash  of  broken  glasses,  and  the  general  strug 
gle  to  get  to  the  cabin  door,  a  German  Jew  sprang  from 
his  berth,  and  in  frantic  accents  begged  that  his  life  might 
be  spared.  "Take  my  money!"  cried  he;  "take  it  all, 
but  for  God's  sake  don't  murder  me !"  The  poor  fellow 
had  evidently  been  aroused  out  of  some  horrible  dream, 
and  between  actual  and  imaginary  dangers  was  now 
quite  bewildered  with  terror.  I  could  not  help  but  be 
amused  at  the  grotesque  expression  of  his  face,  even  at 
such  a  moment.  It  would  have  provoked  a  smile  had  we 
been  going  to  the  bottom.  There  was  no  fear  of  that, 
however,  as  I  quickly  ascertained.  We  were  already 
hard  and  fast  on  the  bottom.  We  had  run  upon  a  sunk 
en  rock,  and  were  so  firmly  wedged  between  its  crevices 
that  it  seemed  likely  we  should  remain  there  some  time. 
As  soon  as  all  was  still,  I  quietly  dressed  myself  and  went 
on  deck  to  take  an  observation.  It  was  just  daylight. 
We  were  in  the  middle;  of  a  lake,  surrounded  by  small 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  281 

rocky  islands.  One  of  these  was  only  a  stone's  throw 
distant  on  our  starboard.  The  stakes  between  which 
our  course  lay  were  close  by  on  the  larboard.  We  had 
missed  the  channel  by  some  twenty  or  thirty  yards,  and 
run  upon  a  bed  of  solid  boulders.  The  pilot,  it  seemed, 
had  been  drinking  a  little  too  freely  of  schnapps,  and  had 
fallen  asleep  at  the  helm.  It  was  a  miracle  that  we  were 
not  all  dashed  to  pieces.  A  few  yards  to  the  right  stood 
a  sharp  rock,  which,  had  we  run  against  it,  would  have 
crushed  in  the  entire  bow  of  the  boat,  and  probably 
many  of  us  would  have  perished. 

Although  there  was  no  fear  of  our  sinking  any  deeper 
unless  the  bed  of  rocks  gave  way,  it  was  not  a  pleasant 
prospect  to  be  detained  here,  perhaps  for  several  days. 
The  main  shore  was  some  five  or  six  miles  distant,  and 
presented  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  granite  boulders 
and  dense  pine  forests.  Most  of  the  passengers  were  on 
deck,  in  a  state  of  high  excitement ;  the  gentlemen  run 
ning  about  in  their  shirt  sleeves  and  drawers,  and  the  la 
dies  in  those  indescribable  costumes  which  ladies  usually 
wear  when  they  go  to  sleep.  The  captain  was  mounted 
on  the  poop-deck,  with  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  giving  or 
ders  to  the  men,  who  were  pulling  and  tugging  at  big 
ropes,  and  trying  to  be  very  busy  knocking  things  about ; 
the  pilot  stood  a  little  apart  from  the  captain,  pale  and 
moody,  having  in  a  single  moment  destroyed  his  pros 
pects  for  life.  I  felt  very  sorry  for  the  poor  fellow,  though 
there  was  really  no  excuse  for  him.  Every  now  and  then 
the  captain  turned  to  him  and  gave  him  a  broadside  of 
curses,  which  he  bore  very  meekly. 

In  vain  the  engineer  put  on  additional  steam ;  in  vain 
the  captain  shouted  "  Back !"  "  Ahead !"  "  Stop !"  We 
did  nothing  but  stop.  It  was  stop  all  the  time.  As 
there  is  no  tide  in  these  inland  waters,  the  prospect  was 
that  we  would  continue  to  stop  as  long  as  the  rocks  re 
mained  stationary. 

All  hope  of  progress  being  at  an  end,  the  engineer 
slackened  down  the  fires ;  the  deck-hands  went  to  break- 


282  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

fast,  and  the  passengers  went  down  below  to  dress  and 
talk  over  their  misfortune.  The  sun  rose  as  usual,  and 
the  sky  was  as  clear  and  the  lake  as  placid  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  I  had  been  trying  all  my  life  to  get  ship 
wrecked  on  a  desolate  island ;  now  there  seemed  a  fair 
prospect  of  success.  The  only  difficulty  was,  that  there 
was  no  heavy  sea  to  break  the  vessel  to  pieces,  and  she 
was  too  substantial  to  go  to  pieces  of  her  own  account. 
The  nearest  island  was  little  more  than  a  barren  rock. 
A  few  birds  wheeled  about  over  it,  or  sat  perched  upon 
its  rugged  points,  but  with  that  exception  I  doubt  if  it 
furnished  a  foothold  for  a  living  creature. 

After  a  good  breakfast  of  sausages  and  veal  cutlets, 
brown  bread  and  coffee,  we  again  turned  out  on  deck. 
This  time  the  joyful  tidings  reached  us  from  aloft  that  a 
Gottenberg  steamer  was  approaching.  Soon  the  smoke 
of  her  chimneys  was  perceptible  from  the  deck,  and  in 
an  hour  or  so  she  was  alongside.  A  stout  hawser  was 
bent  on  to  her,  and  after  another  hour  of  pulling  and 
tugging,  backing  and  filling,  we  slipped  off  the  rocks,  and 
floated  out  into  the  channel.  I  was  destined,  after  all, 
never  to  be  decently  shipwrecked.  We  had  suffered £ut 
little  injury,  and  proceeded  on  our  way  as  quietly  as  if 
nothing  had  interrupted  our  course.  On  our  arrival  at 
the  next  pilot  station  the  captain  put  the  pilot  ashore, 
with  a  parting  malediction  in  the  Swedish  vernacular. 

The  next  place  of  importance  on  our  route  was  the 
pretty  little  town  of  Motala,  at  which  we  stopped  for 
some  hours  to  take  in  freight  and  passengers.  The 
neighborhood  is  undulating  and  picturesque,  and  abounds 
in  rich  farms.  Motala  is  an  old-fashioned  place,  with 
paved  streets  and  wooden  houses,  much  like  the  suburbs 
of  Stockholm.  It  is  celebrated  chiefly  for  its  manufac 
tures  of  iron.  The  founderies  are  numerous,  and  cutlery 
of  a  very  good  quality  is  manufactured  here.  Besides 
these,  it  possesses  many  other  objects  of  interest.  The 
churches  are  well  worth  visiting,  and  the  ruins  of  the 
fortifications  erected  in  1567,  to  resist  the  Danes,  are 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  283 

among  the  finest  in  Sweden.  From  Motala,  after  anoth 
er  narrow  stretch  of  canal,  we  soon  reached  the  Wetteru 
Lake,  the  next  largest  to  the  Wenern,  and  the  waters  of 
which  are  three  hundred  and  four  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

In  my  recollections  of  travel  I  can  scarcely  call  to  mind 
any  experience  more  pleasant  than  I  enjoyed  during  this 
part  of  the  trip.  The  lake  scenery  of  Sweden,  although 
not  very  grand  compared  with  that  of  the  Norwegian 
fjords,  is  certainly  unsurpassed  in  the  softness  and  beauty 
of  its  coloring,  the  crystal  clearness  of  the  water,  the  lux 
uriance  of  the  surrounding  forests,  the  varied  labyrinths 
of  charming  little  islands  through  which  the  channel 
winds,  and  the  delicate  atmospheric  tints  cast  on  the  dis 
tant  shores.  By  this  time,  too,  the  passengers  have  be 
come  better  acquainted.  The  wonderful  sights  that  we 
have  seen  together ;  the  perils  and  dangers  through  which 
we  have  passed  ;  the  breakfasts,  dinners,  and  suppers  that 
we  have  eaten  at  the  same  board ;  the  amount  of  solid 
sleeping  that  we  have  done  in  the  same  little  cabin  ;  the 
promenades  we  have  had  up  and  down  the  decks,  and 
the  rambles  we  have  enjoyed  together,  have  bound  us 
together  as  one  family,  and  now  we  come  out  with  our 
individual  histories  and  experiences,  our  accomplish 
ments  and  humors.  We  (the  gentlemen)  drink  schnapps 
together,  smoke  cigars,  talk  all  the  languages  under  the 
sun,  tell  our  best  anecdotes,  and  sing  glees  under  the 
awning.  The  ladies  look  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and 
although  they  are  still  a  little  shy  of  us,  as  ladies  in  Eu 
rope  generally  are  of  the  male  sex,  they  sometimes  favor 
us  with  a  smile  or  a  pleasant  word,  and  thus  contribute 
to  our  happiness.  I  don't  know,  for  the  life  of  me,  what 
dire  offense  the  man  who  founded  European  society  was 
guilty  of;  but  it  is  certain  his  successors,  from  Algeria 
to  the  North  Pole,  are  sadly  mistrusted  by  the  unmar 
ried  ladies.  This,  I  regret  to  say,  is  the  case  in  Sweden, 
as  well  as  in  Germany  and  France.  A  gentleman  is 
generally  regarded  as  a  ferocious  cannibal,  ready  with- 


284  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

out  the  slightest  provocation  to  devour  and  swallow  up 
defenseless  maidens.  The  married  ladies  are  free  and 
easy  enough,  having  discovered  probably  that  men  are 
not  half  so  dangerous  as  they  are  reported  to  be.  But, 
all  things  considered,  the  Swedish  ladies  are  exceeding 
ly  polite  and  affable,  and  on  occasions  of  this  kind  seem 
well  disposed  toward  our  rapacious  sex. 

The  next  important  point  in  our  route  was  the  fortress 
of  Wanas,  which  commands  the  channel  entering  the  lake 
on  the  eastern  side.  This  is  considered  a  work  of  great 
importance  in  view  of  invasion  by  any  foreign  power. 
We  did  not  stop  long  enough  to  examine  it  in  detail, 
merely  touching  to  put  the  mail  ashore  and  take  in  a  few 
passengers.  Leaving,  the  Wettern  Lake,  our  route  lay 
through  a  series  of  smaller  lakes,  beautifully  diversified 
with  wood-covered  islands,  till  we  entered  the  Viken, 
another  magnificent  stretch  of  water  of  less  extent  than 
the  Wettern,  but  still  more  beautiful  than  any  we  had 
yet  seen.  Here  the  rocks  and  islands  are  innumerable, 
rising  from  the  water  in  every  direction ;  the  smaller 
ones  covered  with  moss,  lichens,  shrubbery,  and  flowers ; 
and  the  larger  darkened  with  a  dense  growth  of  fir,  pine, 
and  other  evergreens,  while  the  oak,  elm,  and  ash  occa 
sionally  enliven  the  masses  of  shade  with  their  more  live 
ly  foliage. 

At  the  end  of  the  Viken,  which  is  some  fifteen  miles  in 
length,  the  West  Gotha  Canal  commences,  and  continues 
through  a  rich  and  beautiful  farming  country  to  the  wa 
ters  of  the  great  Wenern  Lake,  some  twenty  miles  dis 
tant.  The  passage  through  this  portion  of  the  route  is 
fess  interesting  than  others  through  which  we  had  passed 
— so  far,  at  least,  as  the  scenery  is  concerned.  The  coun 
try  is  undulating,  but  not  sufficiently  diversified  for  fine 
scenic  effects.  Farms  and  meadows  extend  nearly  all 
the  way  to  the  shores 'of  the  Wenern;  and  the  canal 
passes  at  frequent  intervals  through  farming  districts, 
which,  in  point  of  cultivation,  are  quite  equal  to  any 
thing  I  had  seen  in  more  southern  parts  of  Europe.  The 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  285 

peasants'  houses  along  the  route  are  neat  and  comforta 
ble,  and  reminded  me  occasionally  of  our  New  England 
farm-houses.  Villages  enliven  the  route  at  intervals  of 
a  few  miles,  but  generally  they  are  of  inconsiderable  size, 
and  may  properly  be  regarded  as  mere  gatherings  of 
farm-houses  around  the  nucleus  of  a  church  or  post  sta 
tion.  In  this  respect,  I  was  struck  with  the  difference 
between  Sweden  and  Germany.  The  German  peasantry, 
as  a  general  thing,  live  in  villages,  and  carry  on  their 
farming  outside,  sometimes  at  a  distance  of  several  miles. 
In  the  Thuringenwald,  the  Schuartzwald,  the  Spessart, 
and  some  other  mountainous  districts,  it  is  true,  excep 
tions  may  be  found  to  this  rule ;  but  throughout  the  best 
cultivated  districts  of  Germany  th'ere  are  but  compara 
tively  few  farm-houses  in  which  isolated  families  live. 
Hence  villages,  and,  in  many  cases,  large  towns,  form  the 
head-quarters  of  each  agricultural  parish.  The  pedestri 
an,  in  traveling  through  Germany,  is  scarcely  ever  more 
than  a  "  halp-stund"  from  one  town  or  village  to  another. 
I  think  the  longest  stretch  I  ever  made  between  two  vil 
lages  was  two  hours,  or  six  and  a  half  miles.  In  Sweden 
(and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Norway)  the  farming  dis 
tricts  have  more  of  an  American  aspect.  The  houses  are 
scattered  about  on  the  different  farms,  and  the  peasants 
do  not  seem  to  be  so  gregarious  in  their  habits  as  those 
of  Germany.  This  arises  in  part  from  the  fact  that  the 
population  is  not  so  dense  in  Sweden  as  in  the  more  cen 
tral  parts  of  Europe,  and  in  part  from  the  greater  abun 
dance  of  wood  and  pasture,  and  the  predominance  of  the 
lumbering,  minmg,  and  stock-raising  interests.  Many 
of  the  farmers  are  also  lumbermen  and  miners,  and  near 
ly  all  have  a  good  supply  of  blood  cattle.  The  extent 
of  arable  land  in  Sweden  is  comparatively  small.  It 
presents  few  attractions  as  an  agricultural  country.  Its 
chief  wealth  consists  in  its  vast  forests  and  mines.  The 
climate  is  too  severe  and  the  production  of  cereal  crops 
too  uncertain  to  render  farming  on  a  large  scale  a  profit 
able  pursuit.  This  is  especially  the  case  in  the  northern 


286  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

parts.  South  of  Stockholm,  between  the  lakes  of  Wet- 
tern  and  Wenern,  and  along  the  banks  of  the  Gota  Rtv- 
er,  fanning  is  carried  to  considerable  perfection ;  but 
with  this  exception,  and  some  small  and  sheltered  valleys 
to  the  north,  in  which  the  peasants  manage  with  great 
care  and  labor  to  raise  a  sufficient  supply  of  grain  and 
potatoes  for  domestic  consumption,  but  little  is  produced 
for  exportation.  The  land  generally  throughout  Sweden 
is  barren  and  rocky,  and  it  is  only  by  great  labor  and 
constant  manuring  that  fair  crops  can  be  produced.  In 
the  populous  districts,  where  the  soil  possesses  some  nat 
ural  advantages,  the  farms  are  mostly  small,  averaging 
from  ten  to  seventy-five  acres.  A  tract  of  forest  is  usu 
ally  attached  to  these  'farming-lands,  from  which  the  peas 
ants  derive  their  supplies  of  lumber  and  fuel.  Saw-mills 
are  numerous  on  all  the  rivers,  and  a  large  trade  in  lum 
ber  is  carried  on  in  the  lake  regions.  The  main  lumber 
region  lies  north  of  Stockholm,  on  the  various  small  riv 
ers  emptying  into  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia.  Sundswall, 
Uruea,  Lulea,  and  Haparanda  are  the  principal  places  of 
exportation  on  the  eastern  shore,  and  Gottenburg  on  the 
west.  The  fisheries  are  also  an  important  branch  of  in 
dustry,  and  large  quantities  of  stromung  and  herrings  are 
exported.  Salmon  abound  in  the  rivers,  and  the  lakes 
and  mountain  streams  furnish  a  very  fine  quality  of  trout. 
Game  is  more  abundant  in  the  densely  wooded  regions 
of  Sweden  than  in  Norway,  being  less  accessible  to  Eng 
lish  sportsmen.  Of  late  years  Norway  has  become  the 
favorite  hunting  and  fishing  ground  of  the  English,  and 
every  summer  they  swarm  all  over  the  country  with 
their  guns  and  fishing-rods.  In  Sweden,  however,  com 
paratively  few  have  yet  made  their  appearance.  Bear, 
elk,  red  deer,  ptarmigan,  and  wild-fowl  abound  in  the 
forests  and  along  the  shores  of  the  lakes.  The  Swedes 
themselves  are  not  so  much  given  to  this  kind  of  recrea 
tion  as  the  English.  Their  chief  amusements  consist  in 
Sunday  afternoon  recreations,  such  as  theatrical  repre 
sentations,  dancing,  singing,  drinking  and  carousing.  I" 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  287 

their  religious  observances  they  are  very  strict,  but  aft 
er  church  they  consider  themselves  privileged  to  enjoy  a 
little  dissipation  in  the  Continental  style.  It  too  often 
happens  that  their  frolics  are  carried  to  an  excess.  More 
brandy  and  other  strong  liquors  are  consumed  in  Swe 
den,  according  to  the  population,  than  in  New  Orleans 
or  San  Francisco,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal  for  the 
civilization  of  the  people.  Another  good  sign  is  that 
they  chew  tobacco.  The  better  classes  usually  smoke 
this  delightful  weed,  but  the  peasants  both  smoke  it  and 
chew  it,  showing  conclusively  that  they  are  advancing 
rapidly  toward  emancipation  from  the  narrow  prejudices 
of  European  society.  I  saw  drunken  men  and  tobacco- 
chewers  in  Sweden  who  would  have  done  credit  to  any 
little  mining  district  in  California.  The  habit  of  drink 
ing  is  almost  universal.  The  peasants  drink  to  get  drunk, 
the  better  classes  drink  for  excitement,  and  all  drink  be 
cause  they  like  it.  At  the  principal  restaurants  in  Stock 
holm  and  Gottenburg  there  is  usually  an  anteroom  open 
ing  into  the  main  saloon.  Here  every  gentleman  who 
enters  deposits  his  hat  and  cane.  In  the  centre  of  the 
room  stands  a  small  table,  upon  which  are  several  decan 
ters  containing  "schnapps,"  a  pile  of  brown  bread  sliced, 
various  plates  of  biscuit  and  thin  flour-cake,  butter,  and 
pickled  fish.  Around  this  the  customers  gather  to  ac 
quire  an  appetite,  which  they  accomplish  by  drinking 
one  or  two  glasses  of  schnapps,  eating  a  few  small  fish 
(stromung)  spread  upon  their  bread  and  butter,  and  then 
drinking  some  schnapps.  They  then  go  in  to  dinner, 
and  call  for  what  they  want,  including  the  various  wines 
necessary  for  the  process  of  digestion.  Having  eaten 
heartily  and  emptied  a  few  bottles  of  wine,  they  wind  up 
with  coffee  and  cognac  or  maraschino.  One  would  think 
such  a  process  every  day  would  burn  the  lining  off  the 
best  stomach  in  the  world ;  but  the  Swedes,  like  the 
Russians,  have  gutta-percha  stomachs.  The  same  sys 
tem,  it  is  true,  prevails  in  San  Francisco,  only  in  a  differ 
ent  form,  and  the  same  consequences  generally  ensue. 


288  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

People  are  very  apt  to  get  up  from  the  table  with  a  rush 
of  blood  to  the  head,  a  general  obliquity  of  vision,  and  a 
peculiar  weakness  in  the  knees.  I  tried  it  myself  by 
way  of  experiment,  and  was  sick  of  a  headache  for  three 
days  after.  Somehow  I  can  travel  a  long  distance  on 
foot  without  getting  tired,  but  my  stomach  is  not  lined 
with  sheet  iron.  I  have  seen  women  and  children  drink 
at  a  single  sitting  enough  of  intoxicating  beverages,  since 
my  arrival  in  Europe,  to  have  capsized  me  for  a  month. 
This,  I  think,  will  account  for  the  prevalence  of  bloated 
bodies  and  red  noses  in  these  highly  civilized  countries. 
I  had  read  somewhere,  before  visiting  Sweden,  that 
the  Swedes  are  not  very  sociable  toward  strangers.  Per 
haps  in  this  respect  they  do  not  produce  so  favorable  an 
impression  as  the  Germans,  but  my  experience  has  been 
such  as  to  give  me  a  very  pleasant  idea  of  their  social 
qualities.  It  is  true  they  are  not  so  demonstrative  in 
their  manners  as  the  French,  or  so  enthusiastic  as  the 
Germans ;  but  I  found  no  difficulty  in  becoming  acquaint 
ed  with  them,  and  was  invariably  treated  with  kindness 
and  hospitality.  When  a  Swede  manifests  an  interest  in 
your  behalf,  it  is  pretty  certain  that  he  feels  it.  If  you 
become  acquainted  with  one  respectable  family,  you  have 
a  general  entree  into  the  entire  social  circle.  No  pains 
are  spared  to  render  your  visit  agreeable ;  and  although 
the  demonstrations  of  kindness  are  never  intrusive,  you 
feel  that  they  are  cordial  and  sincere.  There  may  be 
among  the  more  polished  classes  a  certain  degree  of 
formality  which  to  a  stranger  bears  the  appearance  of 
reserve ;  but  this  quickly  passes  away,  and  the  pleasure 
is  all  the  greater  in  finding  that  there  is  really  very  little 
reserve  about  them.  With  all  their  adhesion  to  forms 
and  ceremonies,  they  are  simple  and  unaifected  in  their 
manners,  and  have  a  natural  repugnance  to  whatever  is 
meretricious.  In  a  word,  the  Swedes  are  an  honest, 
straightforward,  sterling  people,  resembling  more,  in  cer 
tain  points  of  character,  the  English  than  any  of  their 
Continental  neighbors,  though  I  must  do  them  the  jus- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  289 

lice  to  say  that  they  rarely  have  so  unpleasant  a  way  of 
manifesting  their  best  traits.  I  can  readily  believe  that 
the  longer  they  are  known  the  better  they  may  be  liked. 
It  is  true  I  saw  nothing  of  Swedish  society  beyond  what 
a  casual  tourist  can  see  in  passing  rapidly  through  the 
country,  yet  that  little  impressed  me  very  favorably,  and 
disposes  me.  to  rely  with  confidence  upon  what  I  gath 
ered  from  others  who  have  enjoyed  a  more  extended  ex 
perience. 

The  home  sketches  of  Fredrika  Bremer  give  a  more 
thorough  insight  of  Swedish  life  and  manners  than  per 
haps  those  of  any  other  writer.  Of  late  years,  however, 
Miss  Bremer  does  not  appear  to  have  maintained-  her 
early  popularity.  She  is  said  to  have  written  some 
things  which  have  given  offense  and  provoked  severe 
criticism,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  her  productions 
mentioned  by  several  of  her  countrymen  in  somewhat 
disparaging  terms.  This  was  a  source  of  disappointment 
to  me,  for  I  had  supposed  she  was  the  most  popular  wri 
ter  in  Sweden  ;  and  I  could  not  easily  forget  the  pleasure 

I  had  derived  from  the  perusal  of  "The  H Family," 

"Nina,"  "The  Professor,"  and  other  of  her  charming 
delineations  of  domestic  life.  As  no  man  is  a  prophet 
in  his  own  valley,  I  suppose  the  same  may  be  said  of 
women.  To  this,  however,  Jenny  Lind  is  an  exception. 

But,  as  usual,  I  find  myself  steering  out  of  the  channel. 
We  were  now  in  the  great  Wenern  Lake,  a  vast  sheet 
of  water  fifty  miles  broad  by  one  hundred  in  length. 
The  elevation  of  this  lake  is  147  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
Its  shores  are  densely  wooded,  and  it  abounds  in  islands, 
many  of  which  are  inhabited  and  cultivated.  Several 
rivers  of  considerable  size  empty  their  waters  into  the 
Wenern,  among  which  is  the  Klar,  a  large  and  rapid 
stream  having  its  source  in  the  mountains  of  Norway, 
at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  north. 
Fishing  and  lumbering  are  the  principal  occupations  of 
the  inhabitants  living  on  the  islands  and  shores.  All 
these  interior  waters  are  frozen  over  in  winter,  and  com- 

N 


290  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

munication  is  carried  on  by  means  of  sledges.  The  win 
ters  are  very  severe;  and  it  is  said  that  great  numbers 
of  wolves,  driven  from  their  usual  haunts  by  starvation, 
prowl  along  the  public  highways  during  the  winter 
months  in  search  of  prey.  Traveling  parties  are  some 
times  attacked,  and  it  is  considered  dangerous  for  chil 
dren  to  go  from  one  farm-house  to  another.  The  gov 
ernment,  however,  by  a  system  of  rewards  for  the  de 
struction  of  these  vicious  animals,  has  succeeded  of  late 
years  in  greatly  reducing  their  numbers. 

In  speaking  of  the  severity  of  Swedish  winters,  it  may 
be  well  to  state  that  the  cold  is  uniform,  and  consequent 
ly  more  easily  endured  than  if  the  temperature  were  sub 
ject  to  sudden  variations.  There  is,  of  course,  consider 
able  difference  between  the  northern  and  southern  parts 
of  the  country ;  but,  taking  the  average  or  central  parts, 
the  winters  may  be  considered  as  lasting  about  five 
months.  During  that  period  the  snow  covers  the  earth, 
and  the  lakes  and  rivers  are  frozen.  At  Stockholm  the 
thermometer  averages  in  summer  about  70  degrees  above, 
and  in  winter  29  degrees  below  zero,  of  Fahrenheit.  At 
Gottenburg  the  summers  are  not  quite  so  warm  and  the 
winters  not  so  cold.  The  temperature  of  the  Norwegian 
coast  facing  the  Atlantic  is  less  rigorous  than  that  of  the 
Swedish  coast  on  the  Baltic,  arising  from  the  influence 
of  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  partly  from  the  proximity  of  the 
open  sea.  Even  at  Waminerfest,  which  lies  within  the 
arctic  circle,  the  winters  are  comparatively  mild.  At  Ber 
gen  it  rains  over  two  hundred  days  in  the  year,  and  the 
fjords  are  seldom  frozen  over. 

Passing  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  "Wenern,  we 
passed  a  series  of  rocky  islands,  well  wooded  till  we 
reached  the  town  of  Wenersberg — an  important  depot 
for  the  commerce  and  products  -of  the  lake.  At  this 
place  a  brisk  trade  in  iron  and  lumber  is  carried  on  dur 
ing  the  summer  months,  and  the  wharves  present  quite 
a  lively  appearance,  with  their  shipping,  and  piles  of  lum 
ber  and  merchandise.  The  population  of  Wenersberg 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  291 

is  about  2500 ;  the  houses  are  neat,  and  the  general  ap 
pearance  of  the  town  is  thrifty.  We  stopped  long  enough 
to  enjoy  a  ramble  through  the  streets,  and  take  a  look 
at  the  inhabitants,  after  which  our  little  steamer  pro 
ceeded  on  her  way  through  the  Wassbottom  Lake.  At 
the  end  of  this  we  entered  the  Carls  Graf,  or  that  por 
tion  of  the  canal  built  by  Charles  IX.,  to  avoid  the  up 
per  falls  of  the  Gota  River.  The  canal  is  here  cut  through 
solid  masses  of  rock,  and  must  have  been  a  work  of  great 
difficulty  and  expense. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  the  Falls  of  Trol- 
ha3tta. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

VOYAGE   TO    CHRISTIANIA. 

I  SHALL  not  fctop  to  describe  the  Falls  of  Trolhaetta. 
Better  word-painters  have  so  often  pictured  the  beauties 
of  this  region  that  thare  is  nothing  left  for  an  unimagin 
ative  tourist  like  myself. 

A  few  hours'  travel  by  the  river  steamer  brought  me 
to  Gottenburg,  where,  for  the  first  time  since  my  arrival 
in  Europe,  I  really  began  to  enjoy  life.  Not  that  Got 
tenburg  is  a  very  lively  or  fascinating  place,  for  it  abounds 
in  abominations  and  smells  of  fish,  and  is  inhabited  by  a 
race  of  men  whose  chief  aim  in  life  appears  to  be  direct 
ed  toward  pickled  herring,  mackerel,  and  codfish.  There 
was  much  in  it,  however,  to  remind  me  of  that  home 
land  on  the  Pacific  for  which  my  troubled  heart  was 
pining.  A  grand  fair  was  going  on.  All  the  peasants 
from  th.e  surrounding  country  were  gathered  in,  and  I 
met  very  few  of  them,  at  the  close  of  evening,  who  were 
not  reeling  drunk.  Besides,  they  chewed  tobacco — an 
additional  sign  of  civilization  to  which  I  had  long  been 
unaccustomed. 

At  Gottenburg,  in  the  absence  of  something  better  to 
do,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  visit  Norway.  The  steamer 


IN    NOR6ELAKD. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  293 

from  Copenhagen  touches  on  her  way  to  Christiania. 
She  has  an  unpleasant  habit  of  waking  people  up  in  the 
middle  of  the  night;  and  I  was  told  that  if  I  wanted  to 
make  sure  of  getting  on  board,  I  must  sit  up  and  watch 
for  her.  This  is  abominable  in  a  mercantile  community  ; 
but  what  can  be  expected  of  a  people  whose  noblest  as 
pirations  are  wrapped  up  in  layers  of  dried  codfish?  By 
contract  with  the  kellner  at  my  hotel  the  difficulty  was 
finally  arranged.  For  the  sum  of  two  marks,  Swedish 
currency,  he  agreed  to  notify  me  of  the  approach  of  the 
Copenhagen  steamer.  I  thought  he  was  doing  all  this 
solely  on  my  account,  but  afterward  discovered  that  he 
had  made  contracts  at  a  quarter  the  price  with  about  a 
dozen  others. 

It  was  very  late  in  the  night,  or  very  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  when  I  was  roused  up,  and  duly  put  on  board  the 
steamer.  Of  the  remainder  of  that  night  the  least  said 
the  better.  A  cabinful  of  sea-sick  passengers  is  not  a 
pleasant  subject  of  contemplation.  When  the  light  of 
day  found  its  way  into  our  dreary  abode  of  misery,  I 
went  on  deck.  The  weather  was  thick,  and  nothing  was 
to  be  seen  in  any  direction  but  a  rough,  chopping  sea 
and  flakes  of  drifting  fog.  A  few  doleful-looking  tour-' 
ists  were  searching  for  the  land  through  their  opera-glass 
es.  They  appeared  to  b'e  sorry  they  ever  undertook 
such  a  stormy  and  perilous  voyage,  and  evidently  had 
misgivings  that  they  might  never  again  see  their  native 
country.  Some  of  them  peeped  over  the  bulwarks  from 
time  to  time,  with  a  faint  hope,  perhaps,  of  seeing  some 
thing  new  in  that  direction  ;  but  from  the  singular  noises 
they  made,  and  the  convulsive  motions  of  their  bodies, 
I  had  reason  to  suspect  they  were  heaving  some  very 
heavy  sighs  at  their  forlorn  fate.  The  waiters  were  con 
tinually  running  about  with  cups  of  coffee,  which  served 
to  fortify  the  stomachs  of  these  har.dy  adventurers  against 
sea-sickness.  I  may  here  mention  as  a  curious  fact  that 
in  all  my  travels  I  have  rarely  met  a  sea-going  gentle 
man  who  could  be  induced  to  acknowledge  that  he  suffer- 


294  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

ed  the  least  inconvenience  from  the  motion  of  the  vesse.. 
A  headache,  a  fit  of  indigestion,  the  remains  of  a  recent 
attack  of  gout,  a  long-standing  rheumatism,  a  bilious  colic 
to  which  he  had  been  subject  for  years,  a  sudden  and  un 
accountable  shock  of  vertigo,  a  disorganized  condition  of 
the  liver — something,  in  short,  entirely  foreign  to  the 
known  and  recognized  laws  of  motion,  disturbed  his  equi 
librium,  but  rarely  an  out-and-out  case  of  sea-sickness. 
That  is  a  weakness  of  human  nature  fortunately  confined 
to  the  ladies.  Indeed,  I  don't  know  what  the  gentler 
sex  would  do  if  it  were  not  for  the  kindness  of  Provi 
dence  in  exempting  the  ruder  portion  of  humanity  from 
this  unpleasant  accompaniment  of  sea-life,  only  it  unfor 
tunately  happens  that  the  gentlemen  are  usually  afilicted 
with  some  other  dire  and  disabling  visitation  about  the 
same  time. 

Toward  noon  the  fog  broke  away,  and  we  sighted  the 
rocky  headlands  of  the  Christiania  Fjord.  In  a  few 
hours  more  we  were  steaming  our  way  into  this  magnif 
icent  sheet  of  water  at  a  dashing  rate,  and  the  decks 
were  crowded  with  a  gay  and  happy  company.  No 
more  the  pangs  of  despised  love,  indigestion,  gout,  and 
bilious  colic  disturbed  the  gentlemen  of  this  lively  par 
ty  ;  no  more  the  fair  ladies  of  Hamburg  and  Copenhagen 
hid  themselves  away  in  their  -state-rooms,  and  called  in 
vain  to  their  natural  protectors  for  assistance.  The  sea 
was  smooth ;  the  sun  shot  forth  through  the  whirling 
rain-clouds  his  brightest  August  beams.  All  along  the 
shores  of  the  Fjord,  the  rocky  points,  jutting  abruptly 
from  the  water,  rose  like  embattled  towers,  crowned 
with  a  variegated  covering  of  moss,  grim  and  hoary  with 
the  wild  winds  and  scathing  winters  of  the  North. 
Beautiful  little  valleys,  ravines,  and  slopes  of  woodland 
of  such  rich  and  glittering  green  opened  out  to  us  on 
either  side,  as  we  swept  past  the  headlands,  that  the 
vision  was  dazzled  with  the  profusion  and  variety  of  the 
charms  bestowed  upon  this  wilderness  of  romantic  scen 
ery.  A  group  of  fishermen's  huts,  behind  a  bold  and 


29(5  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

jagged  point  of  rocks — a  rude  lugger  or  fishing-smack, 
manned  by  a  hardy  crew  of  Norskmen,  rough  and 
weather-beaten  as  the  ocean  monsters  of  their  stormy 
coast,  gliding  out  of  some  nook  among  the  rocky  inlets 
— here  the  cozy  little  cottage  of  some  well-to-do  sea- 
captain,  half  fisher,  half  farmer,  with  a  gang  of  white- 
headed  little  urchins  running  out  over  the  cliffs  to  take 
a  peep  at  the  passing  steamer,  the  frugal  matron  stand 
ing  in  the  door  resplendent  in  her  red  woolen  petticoat 
and  fanciful  head-dress,  knitting  a  pair  of  stockings,  or 
some  such  token  of  love,  for  her  absent  lord — there,  a 
pretty  little  village,  with  a  church,  a  wharf,  and  a  few 
store-houses,  shrinking  back  behind  the  protecting  wing 
of  some  huge  and  rugged  citadel  of  rocks,  the  white  cot 
tages  glittering  pleasantly  in  the  rays  of  the  evening 
sun,  and  the  smoke  curling  up  peacefully  over  the  sur 
rounding  foliage,  and  floating  off  till  it  vanished  in  the 
rich  glow  of  the  sky — all  so  calm,  so  dreamy  in  colors 
and  outline  that  the  imagination  is  absolutely  bewildered 
with  the  varied  feast  of  beauties :  such  are  the  charac 
teristic  features  of  this  noble  sheet  of  water. 

The  Christiauia  Fjord  is  one  of  the  largest  in  Norway. 
Commencing  at  Frederickstadt  on  the  one  side  and  San- 
desund  on  the  other,  it  extends  into  the  interior  a  dis 
tance  of  seventy  or  eighty  miles,  making  one  of  the  finest 
natural  harbors  in  the  world.  The  water  is  deep,  and 
the  shores  are  almost  rock-bound.  In  many  places  the 
navigation  is  somewhat  intricate,  owing  to  the  numerous 
rocky  islands  and  rugged  headlands ;  but  the  Norwegian 
pilots  are  thoroughly  experienced  in  their  business,  and 
know  every  foot  of  the  way  as  familiarly  as  they  know 
their  own  snug  little  cabins  perched  up  among  the  rocks. 

Touching  at  the  picturesque  little  town  of  Horten  on 
the  left,  we  discharged  some  passengers  and  took  in 
others,  after  which  we  proceeded  without  farther  inci 
dent  to  the  town  of  Drobak  on  the  right.  Here  the 
Fjord  is  narrow,  presenting  something  the  appearance 
of  a  river.  A  group  of  fortifications  on  the  cliffs  pro- 


N   L> 


298  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

tects  this  passage.  The  view  on  leaving  Drobak  is  in 
expressibly  beautiful.  The  Fjord  widens  gradually  till 
it  assumes  the  form  of  an  immense  lake,  the  shores  of 
which  rise  abruptly  from  the  water,  covered  with  forests 
of  pine.  Moss-covered  rocks,  green  wooded  islands,  and 
innumerable  fishing-craft,  give  variety  and  animation  to 
the  scene.  Range  upon  range  -of  wild  and  rugged 
mountains  extend  back  through  the  dim  distance  on 
either  side  till  their  vague  and  fanciful  outlines  are  min 
gled  with  the  clouds.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  richness 
and  beauty- of  the  atmospheric  tints.  A  golden  glow, 
mingled  with  deep  shades  of  purple,  illuminates  the  sky. 
In  the  distance  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  vast  interior 
ranges  of  mountains  glisten  in  the  evening  sun.  The 
deep  green  of  the  foliage  which  decks  the  islands  and 
promontories  of  the  Fjord  casts  its  reflected  hues  upon 
the  surface  of  the  sleeping  waters.  In  the  valleys,  which 
from  time  to  time  open  out  as  we  sweep  along  on  our 
way,  rich  yellow  fields  of  grain  make  a  brilliant  and 
striking  contrast  to  the  sombre  tints  of  the  pine  forests 
in  the  rear. 

It  was  long  after  sunset,  but  still  light  enough  to  en 
joy  all  the  beauties  of  the  Fjord,  when  we  saw  before  us 
the  numerous  and  picturesque  villas  that  adorn  the 
neighborhood  of  Christiania.  Passing  the  fine  old  cas 
tle  of  Aggershuus  on  the  left,  we  rounded  a  point,  and 
then  came  in  full  view  of  the  town  and  harbor. 

Surely  there  is  nothing  like  this  in  the  whole  world,  I 
thought,  as  I  gazed  for  the  first  time  upon  this  charming 
scene.  The  strange  oldfashioned  buildings,  the  castle, 
the  palace  on  the  hill-top,  the  shipping  at  the  wharves, 
the  gardens  on  every  slope,  the  varied  outlines  of  the 
neighboring  cliffs  and  hills,  covered  with  groves  and 
green  slopes  of  rich  sward  ;  every  nook  glimmering  with 
beautiful  villas ;  the  whole  reflected  in  the  glowing  wa 
ters  that  sweep  through  the  maze  of  islands  and  head- 
larrds  in  every  direction  ;  can  there  be  any  thing  more 
beautiful  in  all  the  world  ? 


300  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

The  steamer  was  soon  hauled  alongside  the  wharf, 
where  a  crowd  of  citizens  was  gathered  to  see  us  land. 
Here  again  was  a  scene  characteristic  of  Norway.  No 
hurry,  no  confusion,  no  shouting  and  clamoring  for  pas 
sengers,  but  all  quiet,  primitive,  and  good  -  humored. 
How  different  from  a  landing  at  New  York  or  San  Fran 
cisco  !  Three  or  four  sturdy  hack-drivers  stood  smok 
ing  their  pipes,  watching  the  proceedings  with  an  air 
of  philosophical  indifference  truly  refreshing.  Fathers, 
mothers,  sisters,  brothers,  and  cousins  of  various  parties 
on  board,  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and  nodded  affec 
tionately  to  their  friends  and  relatives,  but  kept  their  en 
thusiasm  within  limits  till  the  plank  was  put  out,  when 
they  came  on  board,  and  kissed  and  hugged  every  body 
of  their  acquaintance  in  the  most  affectionate  manner. 
The  officers  of  the  customs,  good  easy  souls !  also  came 
on  board,  books  in  hand,  and  made  a  kind  of  examina 
tion  of  the  baggage.  It  was  neither  severe  nor  formal, 
and  I  felt  an  absolute  friendship  for  the  chief  officer  on 
account  of  the  jolly  manner  in  which  he  looked  at  me, 
and  asked -me  if  I  had  any  thing  contraband  in  my  little 
knapsack.  I  offered  to  open  it,  but  with  a  wave  of  his 
hand  he  chalked  a  pass  upon  it  and  I  walked  ashore. 
For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  here  felt  the  inconven 
ience  of  not  being  persecuted  by  porters  and  hack-driv 
ers.  The  few  who  were  on  hand  seemed  to  be  particu 
lar  friends  or  relatives  of  parties  on  board,  and  were  al 
ready  engaged.  I  walked  up  the  queer,  grass-grown 
old  streets,  looking  around  in  the  dim  twilight  for  a  ho 
tel  ;  and  after  stumbling  into  half  a  dozen  odd-looking 
shops  and  store-houses,  contrived  to  make  my  way  to 
the  Hotel  Victoria,  said  to  be  the  best 'in  Christiania. 

As  it  is  no  part  of  my  purpose  to  write  a  book  on 
Christiania,  I  shall  only  say  that  for  the  next  three  days 
I  rambled  about  enjoying  all  the  objects  of  interest  in 
this  quaint  northern  city — the  churches,  the  museum, 
the  castle,  the  palace,  the  ups  and  downs  of  the  streets, 
the  market-places,  wharves,  and  gardens,  and  the  magic 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  ;^01 

beauties  of  the  neighborhood.  There  is  a  plainness  and 
simplicity  about  the  people  of  Christiania,  a  good-humor 
of  expression,  a  kindliness"  of  manner  and  natural  polite 
ness  that  impressed  me  very  favorably.  The  society  is 
said  to  be  genial  and  cultivated.  I  have  no  doubt  of  the 
fact,  though  my  stay  was  too  short  to  afford  an  oppor 
tunity  of  making  many  acquaintances. 

At  the  Hotel  Victoria  I  met  Ole  Bull,  who  was  on  a 
tour  through  his  native  land.  He  sat  near  me  at  the 
table  d'hdte,  and  I  had  an  opportunity  of  noticing  the 
changes  which  time  has  made  in  his  appearance.  The 
last  time  I  had  seen  him  was  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1844. 
He  was  then  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  slender  and  grace 
ful,  yet  broad  of  shoulder  and  powerful  of  limb ;  with 
light  straight  hair,  clear  blue  eyes,  and  a  healthy  North 
ern  complexion.  He  is  now  quite  altered,  and  I  am  not 
sure  that  I  would  have  recognized  him  had  he  not  been 
pointed  out  to  me.  In  form  he  is  much  stouter,  though 
not  so  erect  as  he  was  in  former  years.  His  hair  is 
sprinkled  with  gray.  He  retains  the  same  noble  cast  of 
features,  and  deep,  dreamy,  and  genial  expression  of  eye 
as  of  old,  but  his  complexion  is  sallow,  and  his  face  is 
marked  by  lines  of  care.  There  is  something  sad  and 
touching  in  his  manner.  I  do  not  knoAV  what  his  mis 
fortunes  in  America  may  have  to  do  with  his  present  de 
jected  expression,  but  he  seems  to  me  to  be  a  man  who 
has  met  with  great  disappointments  in  life.  Although 
I  sat  beside  him  at  the  table,  and  might  have  claimed 
acquaintance  as  one  of  his  most  ardent  American  ad 
mirers,  I  was  deterred  from  speaking  to  him  by  some 
thing  peculiar  in  his  manner — not  coldness,  for  that  is 
not  in  his  nature — but  an  apparent  withdrawal  from  the 
outer  world  into  himself.  A  feeling  that  it  might  be  in 
trusive  to  address  him  kept  me  silent.  I  afterward  sent 
him  a  few  lines,  expressing  a  desire  to  renew  my  early 
acquaintance  with  him ;  but  he  left  town  while  I  was  ab 
sent  on  an  excursion  to  the  Frogner-assen,  and,  much  to 
my  regret,  I  missed  seeing  him. 


302  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


CFIAPTER  XXVIII. 

FROM    CHRISTIANIA    TO    LILLEHAMMER. 

THE  population  of  Christiania  is  something  over 
40,000,  and  of  late  years  it  has  become  quite  a  place  of 
resort  for  tourists  on  the  way  to  the  interior  of  Norway. 
The  houses  built  since  the  fire  of  1858,  which  destroyed 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  town,  are  large  and  sub 
stantial,  built  of  stone  and  covered  with  cement.  The 
streets  for  the  most  part  are  broad  and  roughly  paved. 
Very  little  of  characteristic  style  is  observable  in  the 
costume  of  the  citizens.  Plainness  of  dress,  simple  and 
primitive  manners,  and  good  nature,  are  the  leading 
traits  of  the  Norwegians.  Christiania  is  the  modern 
capital  of  Norway,  and  was  founded  by  Christian  IV. 
of  Denmark,  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  capital  of  Osloe, 
which  was  founded  in  1058  by  King  Harold  Hardraade. 
Some  of  the  old  buildings  still  remain  in  a  state  of  good 
preservation  ;  but  the  chief  interest  of  the  city  consists 
in  its  castle,  university,  library,  and  museum  of  Northern 
antiquities.  A  traveler  from  the  busy  cities  of  America 
is  struck  with  the  quiet  aspect  of  the  streets,  and  the 
almost  death-like  silence  that  reigns  in  them  after  dark. 
In  many  places  the  sidewalks  are  overgrown  with  grass, 
and  the  houses  are  green  with  moss.  Stagnation  broods 
in  the  very  atmosphere.  Christiania  is  in  all  respects 
the  antipodes  of  San  Francisco.  A  Californian  could 
scarcely  endure  an  existence  in  such  a  place  for  six 
weeks.  He  would  go  stark  mad  from  sheer  inanity. 
Beautiful  as  the  scenery  is,  and  pleasantly  as  the  time 
passed  during  my  brief  sojourn,  it  was  not  without  a 
feeling  of  relief  that  I  took  my  departure  in  the  cars  for 
Eidsvold. 

The  railway  from  Christiania  to  Eidsvold  is  the  only 


304  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

one  yet  in  operation  in  Norway.  It  was  a  pretty  heavy 
undertaking,  considering  the  rough  country  and  the  lim 
ited  resources  of  the  people ;  but  it  was  finally  com 
pleted,  and  is  now  considered  a  great  feature  in  Norwe 
gian  civilization.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  back 
wardness  of  facilities  for  internal  communication  through 
out  this  country  when  I  mention  the  fact  that  beyond 
the  distance  of  forty  miles  to  Eidsvold  and  the  Lake  of 
Miosen,  the  traveler  is  dependent  upon  such  vehicles  as 
he  takes  with  him,  unless  he  chooses  to  incur  the  risk  of 
procuring  a  conveyance  at  Hamar  or  Lillehammer.  The 
whole  country  is  a  series  of  rugged  mountains,  narrow 
valleys,  desolate  fjclds,  rivers,  and  fjords.  There  are  no 
regular  communications  between  one  point  and  another 
on  any  of  the  public  highways,  and  the  interior  districts 
are  supplied  with  such  commodities  as  they  require  from 
the  sea-board  solely  by  means  of  heavy  wagons,  sledges, 
boats,  and  such  other  primitive  modes  of  transportation 
as  the  nature  of  the  country  and  the  season  may  render 
most  available. 

Like  every  thing  else  in  Norway,  the  cars  on  the  Eids 
vold  railway  have  rather  more  of  a  rustic  than  a  metro 
politan  appearance.  They  are  extremely  simple  in  con 
struction  and  rural  in  decoration ;  and  as  for  the  road, 
it  may  be  very  good  compared  with  a  trail  over  the  Si 
erra  Nevada  Mountains,  but  it  is  absolutely  frightful 
to  travel  over  it  by  steam.  Three  hours  is  the  allow 
ance  of  time  for  forty  miles.  If  I  remember  correctly, 
we  stretched  it  out  to  four,  on  account  of  a  necessary 
stoppage  on  the  way,  caused  by  the  tumbling  down  of 
some  rocks  from  an  overhanging  cliff".  The  jolting  is 
enough  to  dislocate  one's  vertebra? ;  and  I  had  a  vague 
feeling  all  the  time  during  the  trip  that  the  locomotive 
would  jump  off  the  track,  and  dash  her  brains  out  against 
some  of  the  terrible  boulders  of  granite  that  stood  frown 
ing  at  us  on  either  side  as  we  worried  our  way  along 
from  station  to  station. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  we  came  to  a  saw-mill  by  the 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  ;}Q5 

roadside.  The  scenery  is  pretty  all  the  way  from  Chris-, 
tiania,  but  not  very  striking  till  the  train  passes  the  nar 
row  gorge  in  which  the  saw-mill  is  situated,  where  there 
is  a  tunnel  of  a  few  hundred  feet  that  penetrates  a  bluff 
on  the  left.  Emerging  from  this,  we  are  close  upon  the 
charming  little  village  of  Eidsvold,  one  of  the  loveliest 
spots  in  this  land  of  beauty.  A  few  minutes  more  brought 
us  to  the  station-house,  where  the  railway  ends.  Here 
we  found  ourselves  at  a  good  hotel,  picturesquely  situa 
ted  on  the  bank  of  the  Wormen,  a  river  flowing  from 
the  Miosen  Lake. 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  a  fine  Sunday  forenoon  I  took  my 
departure  from  Eidsvold  on  board  one  of  the  little  lake 
steamers.  These  vessels  are  well  managed,  and  not  in 
conveniently  arranged,  but  they  are  so  very  small  that 
on  particular  occasions,  when  there  is  an  unusual  press 
ure  of  travelers,  it  is  difficult  to  find  room  for  a  seat. 
Owing  to  the  facilities  afforded  by  the  railway  from 
Chris,tiania,  an  excursion  to  Lillehammer  is  the  most 
popular  way  of  passing  a  Sunday  during  the  summer 
months,  and  this  being  the  height  of  the  season,  the 
crowd  was  unusually  great.  It  also  happened  that  two 
hundred  soldiers,  who  had  served  out  their  time,  were 
returning  to  their  homes  in  the  interior,  so  that  there 
was  no  lack  of  company  on  board.  If  the  soldiers  were 
somewhat  lively  and  frolicsome,  it  was  nothing  more 
than  natural  under  the  circumstances.  A  good  many 
were  intoxicated — at  the  idea,  perhaps,  of  getting  home 
once  more,  and  their  songs  and  merry  shouts  of  laughter 
kept  every  body  in  a  good  humor.  I  am  unable  to  ac 
count  for  a  curious  fact,  which  I  may  as  well  mention  in 
this  connection.  Whenever  the  authorities  of  any  coun 
try  through  which  I  chance  to  travel  have  occasion  to 
send  their  troops  from  one  point  to  another,  they  invari 
ably  send  them  upon  the  same  boat  or  in  the  same  rail 
way  train  upon  which  I  have  the  fortune  to  take  pas 
sage.  There  must  be  something  military  in  my  appear 
ance,  or  some  natural  propensity  for  bloodshed  in  my 


DUG  THE  LAND  OF  THUK. 

nature,  that  causes  this  affinity  to  exist  between  us,  for 
it  has  happened  altogether  too  often  to  be  accidental. 
The  King  of  Sicily,  some  years  ago,  sent  a  party  of 
troops  to  keep  me  company  to  Palermo.  Subsequently 
the  King  of  Greece  favored  me  with  a  large  military 
convoy  to  one  of  the  Greek  islands.  After  that  I  had 
an  independent  supervision  of  various  bodies  of  Turkish 
soldiers  on  board  of  different  vessels  within  the  Turkish 
dominions.  Recently  Napoleon  III.  sent  down  by  the 
same  train  of  cars,  from  Paris  to  Marseilles,  about  four 
hundred  of  his  troops  for  Algiers.  Being  detained  at 
Marseilles  by  some  unforeseen  circumstance,  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  these  men  shipped  off  on  the  first 
steamer.  I  took  passage  in  the  next.  By  some  extraor 
dinary  fatality,  for  which  there  is  no  accounting,  there 
were  upward  of  five  hundred  additional  troops  shipped 
on  this  vessel.  It  wras  a  consolation  to  know  that  a 
storm  was  brewing,  and  that  they  would  soon  be  all  sea 
sick.  Before  we  got  out  of  the  Gulf  of  Lyons  I  could 
have  slain  every  man  of  them  with  a  pocket-knife.  It 
was  therefore  with  a  spirit  of  resignation  that  I  saw  the 
Norwegian  soldiers  come  on  board  at  Eidsvold.  Fate 
had  ordained  that  we  should  travel  together,  and  it  was 
no  use  to  complain.  Besides,  I  liked  their  looks.  As 
stalwart,  blue-eyed,  jovial,  and  hearty-looking  a  set  of 
fellows  they  were  as  ever  I  saw  in  any  country — men  of 
far  higher  intelligence  and  physical  capacity  than  the 
average  of  soldiers  in  Continental  Europe.  That  these 
were  the  right  sort  of  men  to  fight  for  their  country 
there  could  be  no  doubt.  I  have  rarely  seen  finer  troops 
any  where  than  those  of  Norway. 

The  Mioscn  Lake  is  sixty-three  miles  in  length,  ex 
tending  from  Minde  to  Lillehammer,  and  varies  in  width 
from  five  to  ten  miles.  The  broadest  part  is  opposite  to 
llamar,  nearly  at  the  centre,  and  not  far  from  the  island 
of  IlelgeO.  The  shores  embrace  some  of  the  finest  farm 
ing  lands  in  Norway;  and  after  passing  Minde, the  slop 
ing  hill-sides  are  dotted  with  pretty  little  farm-houses, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  307 

and  beautifully  variegated  with  fields  and  orchards.  In 
many  places,  so  numerous  are  the  cottages  of  the  thrifty 
farmers  hung  in  this  favored  region,  that  they  resemble 
a  continuous  village,  extending  for  many  miles  along  the 
hill-sides.  There  is  not  much  in  the  natural  aspect  of 
the  country  to  attract  the  Ipver  of  bold  mountain  scen 
ery.  The  beauties  of  the  shores  of  Miosen  are  of  a  gen 
tle  and  pastoral  character,  and  become  monotonous  after 
a  few  hours.  Near  Ilarnar,  on  the  right,  there  are  the 
ruins  of  an  old  cathedral,  burned  and  plundered  by  the 
Swedes  in  1567. 

Apart  from  the  ordinary  interest  of  the  Miosen  Lake, 
arising  from  the  quiet,  pastoral  character  of  its  shores,  it 
possessed  a  peculiar  charm  to  me,  owing  to  the  fact  that, 
in  1755,  when  the  great  earthquake  occurred  at  Lisbon, 
its  wraters  rose  twenty  feet,  and  suddenly  retreated.  Only 
a  few  months  previously  I  had  visited  the  city  of  Lisbon, 
and  stood  upon  the  very  spot  where,  in  six  minutes,  over 
sixty  thousand  souls  had  been  buried  beneath  the  ruins. 
I  was  nowr,  so  to  speak,  following  up  an  earthquake. 

It  was  late  at  night  when  wre  arrived  at  the  pretty  lit 
tle  town  of  Lillehammer,  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Leav 
ing  the  steamer  here,  I  found  myself,  for  the  first  time, 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  English  language.  A  Norwe 
gian  with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  on  board  the 
boat  was  kind  enough  to  walk  up  town  with  me  and 
show  me  the  way  to  the  post  station,  where  I  had  some 
difficulty  in  procuring  accommodations,  owing  to  the 
number  of  recent  arrivals. 

The  town  of  Lillehammer  contains  twelve  or  fifteen 
hundred  inhabitants,  whose  principal  industry  consists  in 
the  lumber  business.  Immense  rafts  are  towed  down 
the  lake  every  day  by  the  returning  steamers,  and  car 
ried  by  rail  from  Eidsvold  to  Christiania.  The  logs  are 
drifted  down  the  Logen  River  from  the  interior,  and  cut 
up  at  Lillehnmmer  and  Eidsvold.  Such  as  are  designed 
for  spars  are  dressed  and  shipped  at  the  latter  place. 
There  are  many  other  points  on  the  lake  from  which  sup- 


308  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

plies  of  timber  are  also  transferred  to  Christiania,  so  that, 
between  forming,  fishing,  and  lumbering,  the  inhabitants 
of  this  region  make  out  a  very  comfortable  subsistence, 
and  generally  own  the  lands  upon  which  they  reside. 
Many  of  them  are  wealthy — for  this  part  of  the  world. 

Lillehammer  is  prettily  situated  on  an  eminence,  and 
consists  of  log  and  frame  houses,  presenting  much  the  ap 
pearance  of  a  Western  lake  village  in  the  United  States. 
The  view  of  the  Miosen  and  its  verdant  shores  is  very 
fine  from  the  top  of  the  hill.  It  was  ten  o'clock  at  night 
when  I  arrived,  although  the  sky  was  still  lighted  up 
with  a  purple  glow  from  the  departed  sun.  Something 
of  the  wonderful  scenic  beauties  of  the  country  were  still 
visible.  A  party  of  French  tourists,  who  had  come  to 
Norway  to  make  a  three  days'  visit,  set  off  at  this  late 
hour  to  see  the  torrent  which  breaks  from  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  about  half  a  mile  beyond  the  town.  I  was  so 
licited  to  join  them;  but  my  passion  for  sight-seeing  was 
rather  obscured  by  the  passion  of  hunger  and  thirst.  At 
such  times  I  am  practical  enough  to  prefer  a  good  sup 
per  to  the  best  waterfall  in  the  world.  Waterfalls  can 
be  postponed.  Hunger  must  be  promptly  satisfied. 
Thirst  makes  one  dry.  A  distant  view  of  foiling  water 
is  a  poor  substitute  for  a  glass  of  good  ale.  There  is  no 
fear  that  any  ordinary  cataract  will  run  itself  out  before 
morning. 

This  was  my  first  experience  of  a  post  station,  and  very 
pleasant  I  found  it.  The  inns  of  Norway  arc  plain,  cheap, 
and  comfortable ;  not  very  elegant  in  appearance,  but  as 
good  in  all  respects  as  a  plain  traveler  could  desire.  I 
had  a  capital  supper  at  Lillehammer,  consisting  of  beef 
steak,  eggs,  bread,  butter,  and  coffee — enough  to  satisfy 
any  reasonable  man.  The  rooms  are  clean,  the  beds  and 
lu-ilding  neat  and  comfortable,  and  the  charge  for  sup 
per,  lodging,  and  breakfast  not  exceeding  an  average  of 
about  fifty  cents.  At  some  of  the  interior  stations  I  was 
charged  only  about  twenty-five  cents,  and  in  no  instance 
was  I  imposed  upon.  The  innkeepers  are  so  generally 


THE  LAND  OF  TI1OR.  309 

obliging  and  good-natured  that  there  is  very  little  diffi 
culty  in  getting  along  with  them.  A  few  words  always 
sufficed  to  make  my  wants  understood,  and  the  greatest 
kindness  and  alacrity  were  invariably  shown  in  supply 
ing  them.  But  I  anticipate  my  journey. 

After  a  pleasant  night's  rest  I  arose  bright  and  early ; 
and  here,  being  for  the  first  time  thrown  completely  upon 
my  own  resources  in  the  way  of  language,  was  obliged 
to  have  recourse  to  my  vocabulary  to  get  at  the  means 
of  asking  for  breakfast  and  a  horse  and  cariole.  Fancy 
a  lean  and  hungry  man  standing  before  a  substantial 
landlord,  trying  to  spell  out  a  breakfast  from  his  book  in 
some  such  way  as  this  : 

"  Jeg  vil  Spise  [I  will  eat] !" 

"  Ya,  min  Herr!"  the  landlord  politely  answers. 

"  Jeg  vil  Frokost  [I  will  breakfast]  !" 

"  Ya,  min  Herr ;"  and  the  landlord  runs  off  into  a  per 
fect  labyrinth  of  birds,  fish,  eggs,  beefsteak,  hot  cakes, 
and  other  luxuries,  which  the  inexperienced  traveler  is 
vainly  attempting  to  follow  up  in  his  book.  In  despair, 
he  at  length  calls  out, 

"  Ja !  Ja ! — that's  all  right !  any  thing  you  say,  iny  fine 
old  gentleman !" 

At  which  the  landlord  scratches  his  head,  for  he  doesn't 
understand  precisely  what  you  have  selected.  Now  you 
take  your  book,  and  explain  slowly  and  systematically : 

"  Kaffee !" 

"Ja." 

"(Egg!" 

"  Ja)' 

"  Fisk !" 

"Ja." 

"  Smor  og  Brod  !" 

Here  the  landlord  is  staggered,  and  scratches  his  head 
again.  Smor  he  gets  a  glimmering  of,  but  the  bread 
stuns  him.  You  try  it  in  a  dozen  different  ways — broad, 
breyd,  breed,  brode,  braid.  At  length  a  light  flashes  upon 
his  mind.  You  want  bread  !  Simple  as  the  word  is,  and 


310  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

0 

though  he  pronounces  it  precisely  according  to  one  of 
your  own  methods,  as  you  suppose,  it  is  difficult  to  get 
the  peculiar  intonation  that  renders  it  intelligible. 

"  Ja !"  And  thus  you  lay  the  foundation  of  your 
breakfast ;  after  which,  having  progressed  so  far  in  the 
language,  there  is  no  great  difficulty  in  asking  for  a 
"Heste  og  Cariole"  [a  horse  and  cariole]. 

A  little  practice  in  this  way  soon  enables  the  traveler 
to  acquire  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  language  for  the 
ordinary  purposes  of  communication  along  the  road. 
With  a  smattering  of  the  German  it  comes  very  readily 
to  one  who  speaks  English,  being  something  of  a  mixture 
between  these  two  languages.  I  was  really  astonished 
to  find  how  well  I  could  understand  it,  and  make  myself 
understood,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  though  candor 
obliges  me  to  say  that  if  there  is  any  one  thing  in  the 
world  for  which  nature  never  intended  me  it  is  a  linguist. 

I  was  in  hopes  of  finding  at  Lillehammer  a  party  of 
tourists  bound  over  the  Dovre  Fjeld  to  Trondhjem,  of 
whom  I  had  heard  in  Christiania.  In  this  I  was  disap 
pointed.  They  had  started  a  few  days  previously.  An 
omnibus  was  advertised  to  run  as  far  as  Elstad,  some 
thirty-five  miles  up  the  valley  of  Gudbransdalen,  which 
would  be  so  much  gained  on  my  route.  It  seemed,  how 
ever,  that  it  only  ran  whenever  a  sufficient  number  of 
passengers  offered — so  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  that 
prospect. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HOW  THEY  TRAVEL  IN  NORWAY. 

NOTHING  can  be  more  characteristic  of  Norwegian  se 
clusion  from  the  world  than  the  rude  means  of  inland 
communication  between  the  principal  cities.  Here  was 
a  public  highway  between  two  of  the  most  important 
sea-ports  in  the  country — Christiania  and  Trondhjem — 
without  as  much  as  a  stage  to  carry  passengers.  Every 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  311 

•  • 

traveler  has  to  depend  upon  his  own  vehicle,  or  upon 
such  rude  and  casual  modes  of  conveyance  as  he  can  find 
at  the  stations  by  the  wayside.  I  asked  the  reason  of 
this  backward  state  of  things,  and  was  informed  that  the 
amount  of  travel  is  insufficient  to  support  any  regular 
stage  line.  The  season  for  tourists  lasts  only  about  three 
months,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  very  few 
strangers  have  occasion  to  pass  over  the  roads.  In  win 
ter — which,  of  course,  lasts  very  long  in  this  latitude — 
the  whole  country  is  covered  with  snow,  and  sledges  are 
altogether  used,  both  for  purposes  of  traveling  and  the 
transportation  of  merchandise  from  the  sea-board.  The 
products  of  the  country — such  as  logs,  spars,  and  boards 
— are  prepared  during  these  months  for  rafting  down 
the  rivers  during  the  spring  floods.  Once,  as  I  was  told, 
an  enterprising  Englishman  had  started  a  regular  stage- 
line  from  Christiania  to  Trondhjem,  in  consequence  of 
the  repeated  complaints  of  the  traveling  public,  who  ob 
jected  to  the  delays  to  which  they  were  subject;  but  he 
was  soon  obliged  to  discontinue  it  for  want  of  patron 
age.  When  travelers  had  a  convenient  way  of  getting 
over,  they  grumbled  at  being  hurried  through,  and  pre 
ferred  taking  the  usual  conveyances  of  the  country, 
which  afforded  them  an  opportunity  of  enjoying  the 
scenery  and  stopping  wherever  they  pleased.  People 
did  not  come  all  the  way  to  Norway,  they  said,  to  fly 
through  it  without  seeing  any  of  its  wonders  and  beau 
ties.  There  was  some  philosophy  in  this,  as  well  as  a 
touch  of  human  nature.  It  reminded  me  of  the  French 
man  in  Paris  who  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age  with 
out  ever  leaving  the  city ;  when  the  king,  for  the  sake 
of  experiment,  positively  forbid  him  from  doing  so  dur 
ing  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  poor  fellow  was  im 
mediately  seized  with  an  inordinate  desire  to  see  some 
thing  of  the  outside  world,  and  petitioned  so  hard  for 
the  privilege  of  leaving  the  city  that  the  king,  unable  to 
resist  his  importunities,  granted  him  the  privilege,  after 
which  the  man  was  perfectly  satisfied,  and  remained  in 
Paris  to  the  day  of  his  death. 


312  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

By  reference  to  a  copy  of  the  laws  on  the  subject  of 
post-travel,  which  I  had  procured  in  Christiania  from  a 
Mr.  Bennett,  I  discovered  that  the  system  is  singularly 
complicated  and  hazardous,  as  well  as  a  little  curious  in 
some  of  its  details.  The  stations  are  situated  along  the 
road  about  every  eight  or  ten  miles  (counted  in  Norwe 
gian  by  so  many  hours).  Nothing  that  we  could  call  a 
village  is  to  be  seen  in  any  part  of  the  interior,  unless 
the  few  straggling  farm-houses  occasionally  huddled  to 
gether,  with  a  church  in  the  centre,  may  be  considered 
in  that  light.  The  stations  usually  stand  alone,  in  some 
isolated  spot  on  the  wayside,  and  consist  of  a  little  log 
or  frame  tavern,  a  long  shambling  stable,  innumerable 
odds  and  ends  of  cribs,  store-houses,  and  outbuildings, 
forming  a  kind  of  court  or  stable-yard  ;  a  rickety  medley 
of  old  carts  and  carioles  lying  about  basking  in  the  sun  ; 
a  number  of  old  white-headed  men  smoking  their  pipes, 
and  leathery-faced  women  on  household  duties  intent, 
with  a  score  or  so  of  little  cotton-headed  children  run 
ning  about 'over  the  manure  pile  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  barn,  to  keep  the  pigs  company ;  here  and  there  a 
strapping  lout  of  a  boy  swinging  on  a  gate  and  whistling 
for  Ins  own  amusement ;  while  cows,  sheep,  goats,  chick 
ens,  and  other  domestic  animals  and  birds  browse,  nib 
ble,  and  peck  all  over  the  yard  in  such  a  lazy  and  rural 
manner  as  would  delight  an  artist.  This  is  the  ordinary 
Norwegian  station. 

There  is  always  a  good  room  for  the  traveler,  and 
plenty  of  excellent  homely  fare  to  eat.  At  some  few 
places  along  the  route  the  station-houses  aspire  to  the 
style  and  dignity  of  hotels,  but  they  are  not  always  the 
'best  or  most  comfortable.  Then  there  are  "fast"  and 
"slow"  stations — so  called  in  the  book  of  laws.  At  the 
fast  stations  the  traveler  can  procure  a  horse  and  cariole 
without  delay — fifteen  minutes  being  the  legal  limit. 
At  the  slow  stations  he  must  wait  till  the  neighborhood, 
for  a  distance  of  three  or  four  miles  perhaps,  is  searched 
for  a  horse — sometimes  for  both  horse  and  cariole.  If 


0 


314  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

he  chooses  to  incur  the  expense  he  can  send  forward  a 
Forbad,  or  notice  in  advance,  requiring  horses  to  be 
ready  at  each  station  at  a  specified  time ;  but  if  he  is  not 
there  according  to  notice,  he  must  pay  so  much  per  hour 
for  the  delay.  A  day-book  is  kept  at  each  of  these  post- 
houses,  in  which  the  traveler  must  enter  his  name,  stating 
the  time  of  his  arrival  and  departure,  where  he  came  from, 
his  destination,  how  many  horses  he  .requires,  etc.  In 
this  formidable  book  he  may  also  specify  any  complaint 
he  has  to  make  against  the  station-holder,  boy,  horse, 
cariole,  or  any  body,  animal,  or  thing  that  maltreats  him, 
cheats  him,  or  in  any  way  misuses  him  on  the  journey ; 
but  he  must  take  care  to  have  the  inn-keeper  or  some 
such  disinterested  person  as  a  witness  in  his  behalf,  so 
that  when  the  matter  comes  before  the  Amtmand,  or 
grand  tribunal  of  justice,  it  may  be  fairly  considered  and 
disposed  of  according  to  law.  When  the  inn-keeper, 
station-holder,  posting-master,  alderman,  or  other  proper 
functionary  on  the  premises,  fails  to  present  this  book 
and  require  the  traveler  to  sign  his  name  in  it,  he  (the 
arrant  violator  of  laws)  is  fined ;  but  the  traveler  need 
not  flatter  himself  that  the  rule  does  not  work  both  ways, 
for  he  also  is  fined  if  he  refuses  or  intentionally  neglects 
to  write  his  name  in  the  said  book.  The  number  of 
horses  to  be  kept  at  fast  stations  is  fixed  by  law,  and  no 
traveler  is  to  be  detained  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
unless  in  certain  cases,  when  he  may  be  detained  half  an 
hour.  At  a  slow  station  he  must  not  be  detained  over 
three  hours — such  is  the  utmost  stretch  of  the  law. 
Tliink  of  that,  ye  Gothamites,  who  complain  if  you  are 
detained  any  where  on  the  face  of  the  earth  three  min 
utes — only  detained  three  hours  every  eight  or  ten  miles ! 
But  for  delay  occasioned  by  any  insuperable  impediment, 
says  the  Norwegian  law-book — such  as  a  storm  at  sea, 
or  too  great  a  distance  between  the  inns — no  liability  is 
incurred  on  either  side.  A  Philadelphia  lawyer  could 
drive  six-and-thirty  coaches-and-four,  all  abreast,  through 
such  a  law  as  that,  and  then  leave  room  enough  for  a 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  315 

Stockton  wagon  and  mule-team  on  each  side.  Who  is 
to  judge  of  the  weather  or  the  distance  between  the 
inns  ?  When  the  traveler  holds  the  reins  he  is  responsi 
ble  for  the  horse,  but  when  the  post-boy  does  the  hold 
ing,  he,  the  said  boy,  is  the  responsible  party.  Should 
any  post-horse  be  ill  treated  or  overdriven  when  the 
traveler  holds  the  reins,  so  that,  in  the  language  of  the 
law,  "  the  station-holder,  inn-keeper,  or  two  men  at  the 
next  station  can  perceive  this  to  be  the  case,  the  travel 
er  shall  pay  for  the  injury  according  to  the  estimation 
of  these  men,  and  he  shall  not  be  allowed  to  be  sent  on 
until  the  payment  is  made."  The  traveler  pays  all  tolls 
and  ferry  charges.  "  When  the  road  is  very  hilly,  or  is 
in  out-of-the-way  districts  where  there  are  but  few  horses 
in  proportion  to  the  travel,  and  the  distance  between  the 
stations  is  unusually  long,  or  under  other  circumstances 
where  the  burden  on  the  people  obligated  to  mid  horses 
is  evidently  very  oppressive,  etc.,"  "  it  may  be  ordered 
by  the  king,  after  a  declaration  to  that  effect  has  been 
procured  by  the  authorities,  that  payment  for  posting 
may  be  reckoned  according  to  a  greater  distance,  in  pro 
portion  to  the  circumstances,  as  far  as  double  the  actual 
distance." 

In  addition  to  all  these  formidable  regulations — against 
Avhich  it  seems  to  me  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  or 
dinary  man  to  contend — the  tariff  fixes  the  price  of  post 
ing  for  fast  and  slow  stations  in  the  country,  the  only  dif 
ficulty  being  to  find  where  the  towns  are  after  you  get 
into  them,  or  to  know  at  what  stage  of  the  journey  you 
leave  them.  The  Amtmand,  by  letter  to  all  the  authori 
ties,  likewise  requires  the  tariff  to  be  hung  conspicuously 
in  all  the  inns ;  which  tariff,  says  the  law,  "  is  altered  ac 
cording  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  provisions." 

When  I  came  to  study  out  all  this,  and  consider  the 
duties  and  obligations  imposed  on  me  as  a  traveler  going 
a  journey  of  three  or  four  hundred  miles;  that  I  was  to 
be  subject  to  contingencies  and  liabilities  depending  upon 
the  elements  both  by  land  and  sea ;  that  serious  respon- 


316  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

sibilities  fell  upon  me  if  I  held  the  reins  of  the  post-horse, 
and  probably  heavy  risks  of  life  and  limb  if  the  post-boy 
held  them ;  that  the  inn-keeper,  station-holder,  alderman, 
or  two  men  chosen  miscellaneously  from  the  ranks  of 
society,  were  to  judge  of  damages  that  might  be  inflicted 
upon  the  horse ;  that  I  must  register  my  name  in  a  day 
book,  and  enter  formal  complaints  against  the  authorities 
on  the  way  about  every  ten  miles ;  that  the  tariif  might 
rise  and  fall  five  hundred  times  during  the  journey,  for 
aught  I  knew,  according  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  provisions 
or  the  pleasure  of  the  Amtmand  ;  that  conspiracies  might 
be  entered  into  against  me  to  make  me  pay  for  all  the 
lame,  halt,  blind,  and  spavined  horses  in  the  country,  and 
my  liberty  restrained  in  some  desolate  region  of  the 
mountains ;  that  I  could  not  speak  a  dozen  words  of  the 
language,  and  had  no  other  means  of  personal  defense 
against  imposition  than  a  small  pen-knife  and  the  natural 
ferocity  of  my  countenance — when  all  these  considera 
tions  occurred  to  me,  I  confess  they  made  me  hesitate  a 
little  before  launching  out  from  Lillehammer. 

However,  the  landlord  of  the  post,  a  jolly  and  good- 
natured  old  gentleman,  relieved  my  apprehensions  by 
providing  such  a  breakfast  of  coffee,  eggs,  beefsteak, 
fish,  and  bread,  that  my  sunken  spirits  were  soon  thor 
oughly  aroused,  and  I  felt  equal  to  any  emergency. 
When  I  looked  out  on  the  bright  hill-sides,  and  saw  the 
sun  glistening  on  the  dewy  sod,  and  heard  the  post-boys 
in  the  yard  whistling  merrily  to  the  horses,  I  was  pre 
pared  to  face  the  great  Amtmand  itself.  In  a  little  while 
the  horse  and  cariole  designed  for  my  use  were  brought 
up  before  the  door,  and  the  landlord  informed  me  that 
all  was  "fertig? 

Now,  was  there  ever  such  a  vehicle  for  a  full-grown 
man  to  travel  in  ?  A  little  thing,  with  a  body  like  the 
end  of  a  canoe,  perched  up  on  two  long  shafts,  with  a 
pair  of  wheels  in  the  rear;  no  springs,  and  only  a  few 
straps  of  leather  for  a  harness;  a  board  behind  for  the 
skydskaarl,  or  post-boy,  to  sit  upon  ;  and  a  horse  not  big- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  317 

ger  than  a  large  mountain  goat  to  drag  me  over  the 
road !  It  was  positively  absurd.  After  enjoying  the 
spectacle  for  a  moment,  and  making  a  hurried  sketch  of 
it,  wondering  what  manner  of  man  had  first  contrived 
such  a  vehicle,  I  bounced  in,  and  stretched  my  legs  out 
on  each  side,  bracing  my  feet  against  a  pair  of  iron 
catches,  made  expressly  for  that  purpose.  Fortunately, 
I  am  a  capital  driver.  If  nature  ever  intended  me  for 
any  one  profession  above  all  others,  it  must  have  been 
for  a  stage-driver.  I  have  driven  buggies,  wagons,  and 
carts  hi  California  hundreds  of  miles,  and  never  yet  killed 
any  body.  Like  the  Irishman,  I  can  drive  within  two 
inches  of  a  precipice  without  going  over.  Usually,  how 
ever,  I  let  the  horse  take  his  own  way,  which,  after  all, 
is  the  grand  secret  of  skillful  driving. 

My  baggage  consisted  of  a  knapsack  containing  two 
shirts  and  an  extra  pair  of  stockings,  a  sketch-book  and 
some  pencils,  and  such  other  trifling  knick-knacks  as  a 
tourist  usually  requires  in  this  country.  I  carried  no 
more  outside  clothing  than  what  common  decency  re 
quired  :  a  rough  hunting-coat,  a  pair  of  stout  cloth  pan 
taloons,  and  an  old  pair  of  boots — which  is  as  much  as 
any  traveler  needs  on  a  Norwegian  tour,  though  it  is 
highly  recommended  by  an  English  writer  that  every 
traveler  should  provide  himself  with  two  suits  of  clothes, 
a  Mackintosh,  a  portable  desk,  an  India-rubber  pillow,  a 
few  blankets,  an  opera-glass,  a  musquito-net,  a  thermom 
eter,  some  dried  beef,  and  a  dozen  boxes  of  sardines, 
besides  a  stock  of  white  bread,  and  two  bottles  of  En 
glish  pickles. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A     NORWEGIAN     GIRL. 

WITH  a  crack  of  the  whip  that  must  have  astonished 
the  landlord,  and  caused  him  some  misgivings  for  the 
fate  of  his  horse  and  cariole,  I  took  my  departure  from 


318  THE  LAND  Ol<'  THOR. 

Lillehammer.  About  half  a  mile  beyond  the  town  we 
(the  skydskaarl,  myself,  horse,  and  cariole)  passed  the 
falls — a  roaring  torrent  of  water  tumbling  down  from 
the  mountain  side  on  the  right.  Several  extensive  saw 
mills  are  located  at  this  point.  The  piles  of  lumber  out 
side,  and  the  familiar  sounds  of  the  saws  and  wheels,  re 
minded  me  of  home.  The  scene  was  pretty  and  pictur 
esque,  but  rather  disfigured  by  the  progress  of  Norwe 
gian  civilization.  Passing  numerous  thriving  farms  in 
the  full  season  of  harvest,  the  road  winding  pleasantly 
along  the  hill-side  to  the  right,  the  foaming  waters*  of  the 
Logen  deep  down  in  the  valley  to  the  left,  we  at  length 
reached  the  entrance  of  the  Gudbransdalen — that  beauti 
ful  and  fertile  valley,  which  stretches  all  the  way  up  the 
course  of  the  Logen  to  the  Dovre  Fjeld,  a  distance  of  a 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  miles  from  Lillehammer.  It 
would  be  an  endless  task  to  undertake  a  description  of 
the  beauties  of  this  valley.  From  station  to  station  it  is 
a  continued  panorama  of  dashing  waterfalls,  towering 
mountains,  green  slopes,  pine  forests  overtopping  the. 
cliffs,  rich  and  thriving  farms,  with  innumerable  log  cot 
tages  perched  up  among  the  cliifs,  and  wild  and  rugged 
defiles  through  which  the  road  passes,  sometimes  over 
hung  by  shrubbery  for  miles  at  a  stretch.  Flying  along 
the  smoothly-graded  highway  at  a  rapid  rate ;  independ 
ent  of  all  the  world  except  your  horse  and  boy ;  the  bright 
sunshine  glimmering  through  the  trees;  the  music  of  the 
wild  waters  falling  pleasantly  on  your  ear ;  each  turn  of 
the  road  opening  out  something  rich,  new,  and  strange ; 
the  fresh  mountain  air  invigorating  every  fibre  of  your 
frame;  renewed  youth  and  health  beginning  to  glow 
upon  your  cheeks ;  digestion  performing  its  fimctions 
without  a  pang  or  a  hint  of  remonstrance ;  kind,  genial, 
open-hearted  people  wherever  you  stop — is  it  not  an 
episode  in  life  worth  enjoying  ?  The  valley  of  the  Logen 
must  surely  be  a  paradise  (in  summer)  for  invalids. 

At  each  station  the  traveler  is  furnished  with  a  stunted 
little  boy  called  the  skydskaarl,  usually  clothed  in  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  319 

cast-oft' rags  of  his  great-grandfather ;  his  head  ornament 
ed  by  a  flaming  red  night-cap,  and  his  feet  either  bare  or 
the  next  thing  to  it;  his  hair  standing  out  in  every  di 
rection  like  a  mop  dyed  in  whitewash  and  yellow  ochre, 
and  his  face  and  hands  freckled  and  sunburned,  and  not 
very  clean,  while  his  manners  are  any  thing  but  cultiva 
ted.  This  remarkable  boy  sits  on  a  board  behind  the 
cariole,  and  drives  it  back  to  the  station  from  which  it 
starts.  He  is  regarded  somewhat  in  the  light  of  a  high 
public  functionary  by  his  contemporary  ragamuffins, 
having  been  promoted  from  the  fields  or  the  barn-yard 
to  the  honorable  position  of  skydskaarl.  His  counte 
nance  is  marked  by  the  lines  of  premature  care  and  re 
sponsibility,  but  varies  in  expression  according  to  circum 
stances.  The  sum  of  four  cents  at  the  end  of  an  hour's 
journey  gives  it  an  extremely  amiable  and  intelligent 
cast.  Some  boys  are  constitutionally  knowing,  and  have 
a  quick,  sharp  look ;  others  again  are  dull  and  stolid,  as 
naturally  happens  wherever  there  is  a  variety  of  boys 
born  of  different  parents.  For  the  most  part,  they  are 
exceedingly  bright  and  lively  little  fellows.  Mounted 
on  their  seat  of  honor  at  the  back  of  the  cariole,  they 
greatly  enliven  the  way  by  whistling  and  singing,  and 
asking  questions  in  their  native  tongue,  which  it  is  some 
times  very  difficult  to  answer  when  one  is  not  familiar 
with  the  language. 

I  had  at  Moshuus  a  communicative  little  boy.  who 
talked  to  me  incessantly  all  the  way  to  Holmen  without 
ever  discovering,  so  far  as  I  could  perceive,  that  I  did 
not  understand  a  single  word  he  said.  Another,  after 
repeated  efforts  to  draw  me  out,  fell  into  a  fit  of  moody 
silence,  and  from  that  into  a  profound  slumber,  which 
was  only  broken  off  toward  the  end  of  our  journey  by 
an  accident..  The  cariole  struck  against  a  stone  and  tilt 
ed  him  out  on  the  road.  He  was  a  good  deal  surprised, 
but  said  nothing.  ' 

Another  little  fellow,  not  more  than  six  or  seven  years 
of  age — a  pretty  fair-haired  child — was  sent  with  me  over 


320  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

a  very  wild  and  broken  stage  of  the  journey.  lie  was 
newly  dressed  in  a  suit  of  gray  frieze  with  brass  buttons, 
and  was  evidently  a  shining  light  at  home.  On  the  road 
a  dog  ran  out  from  the  bushes  and  barked  at  us.  The 
poor  little  skydskaarl  was  frantic  with  terror,  and  cried 
so  lustily  that  I  had  to  take  him  into  the  cariole,  and  put 
him  under  my  legs  to  keep  him  from  going  into  fits.  He 
bellowed  all  the  way  to  the  next  station,  where  I  endeav 
ored  to  make  the  inn-keeper  understand  that  it  was  cruel 
to  send  so  small  a  boy  on  such  a  hazardous  journey.  The 
man  laughed  and  said  "  Ja!  he  is  too  little!"  which  was 
all  I  could  'get  out  of  him.  I  felt  unhappy  about  this 
poor  child  all  day. 

On  another  occasion  I  had  a  bright,  lively  little  fellow 
about  twelve  years  of  age,  who  was  so  pleased  to  find 
that  I  was  an  American  that  he  stopped  every  body  on 
the  road  to  tell  them  this  important  piece  of  news,  so 
that  it  took  me  about  three  hours  to  go  a  distance  of 
seven  or  eight  miles.  There  was  a  light  of  intelligence 
in  the  boy's  face  that  enabled  me  to  comprehend  him  al 
most  by  instinct,  and  the  quickness  with  which  he  caught 
at  my  half-formed  words,  and  gathered  my  meaning 
when  I  told  him  of  the  wonders  of  California,  were  really 
surprising.  This  boy  was  a  natural  genius.  He  will 
leave  his  mountain  home  some  day  or  other  and  make  a 
leading  citizen  of  the  United  States.  Already  he  was 
eager  to  dash  out  upon  the  world  and  see  some  of  its 
novelties  and  wonders. 

At  Laurgaard  I  was  favored  with  a  small  urchin  who 
must  have  been  modeled  upon  one  of  Hogarth's  pictures. 
lie  was  a  fixed  laugh  all  over.  His  mouth,  nose,  ears, 
eyes,  hair,  and  chin  were  all  turned  up  in  a  broad  grin. 
Even  the  elbows  of  his  coat  and  the  knees  of  his  trowsers 
were  wide  open  with  ill-concealed  laughter.  «He  laughed 
when  he  saw  me,  and  laughed  more  than  ever  when  he 
heard  me  "  tale  Nofekr  There  was  something  uncom 
monly  amusing  to  this  little  shaver  in  the  cut  of  a  man's 
jib  who  could  not  speak  good  Norwegian.  All  the  way 


Till-:  LAND  OF  THOK. 


321 


up  the  hill  he  whistled,  sang  lively  snatches  of  song, 
joked  with  the  horse,  and  when  the  horse  nickered  laugh 
ed  a  young  horse-laugh  to  keep  him  company.  It  did  me 
good  to  see  the  rascal  so  cheery.  I  gave  him  an  extra 


STATION-HOY. 


shilling  at  Braendhangen  for  his  lively  spirit,  at  which 
he  grinned  all  over  wider  than  ever,  put  the  small  change 
in  his  pocket,  and  with  his  red  night-cap  in  one  hand 
made  a  dodge  of  his  head  at  me,  as  if  snapping  at  a  fly, 
O  2 


;j22  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

and  then  held  out  his  spare  hand  to  give  me  a  shake. 
Of  course  I  shook  hands  with  him. 

Shaking  hands  with  small  boys,  however,  is  nothing 
uncommon  in  Norway.  Every  boy  on  the  entire  route 
shook  hands  with  me.  Whenever  I  settled  the  fare  the 
skydskaarl  invariably  pulled  off  his  cap,  or,  if  he  had 
none,  gave  a  pull  at  the  most  prominent  bunch  of  hair, 


UOOU-BY — MANY    THANKS] 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU.  323 

and  holding  forth  a  flipper,  more  or  less  like  a  lump  of 
raw  beef,  required  me,  by  all  the  laws  of  politeness,  to 
give  it  a  shake.  The  simplicity  with  which  they  did  this, 
and  the  awkward  kindliness  of  their  manner,  as  they 
wished  me  a  pleasant  trip,  always  formed  an  agreeable 
episode  in  the  day's  travel.  I  have  shaken  a  greater  va 
riety  of  boys'  hands  in  Norway — of  every  size,  kind,  and 
quality,  fat,  lean,  clean,  and  dirty,  dry  and  wet — than  ever 
I  shook  all  over  the  world  before.  Notwithstanding  the 
amount  of  water  in  the  country,  I  must  have  carried  away 
from  Trondhjem  about  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  the  native 
soil.  Between  the  contortions  of  body  and  limb  ac 
quired  by  a  brief  residence  in  Paris,  the  battering  out  of 
several  hats  against  my  knee  in  the  process  of  bowing 
throughout  the  cities  of  Germany,  and  the  shaking  of 
various  boys'  hands  on  my  trip  through  Norway,  I  con 
sider  that  my  politeness  now  qualifies  me  for  any  so 
ciety. 

It  must  not  be  understood,  however,  that  I  was  always 
favored  with  the  society  of  little  boys.  At  one  of  the 
stations,  which,  for  obvious  reasons,  it  would  be  indis 
creet  to  name,  there  was  no  boy  visible  except  the  raga- 
rauffin  who  had  accompanied  me.  He,  of  course,  was 
obliged  to  return  with  the  horse  and  cariole.  Three 
white-headed  old  men  were  sitting  on  a  log  near  the  sta 
ble  basking  in  the  sun,  and  gossiping  pleasantly  about 
"by-gone  times  or  the  affairs  of  state,  I  could  not  under 
stand  which.  Each  of  these  venerable  worthies  wore  a 
red  night-cap,  which  in  this  country  answers  likewise  for 
a  day-cap,  and  smoked  a  massive  wooden  pipe.  It  was 
a  very  pleasant  picture  of  rural  content.  As  I  approach 
ed  they  nodded  a  smiling  '•'•God  A/ten!"  and  rose  to 
unharness  the  horse.  An  elfterly  lady,  of  very  neat  ap 
pearance  and  pleasing  expression,  came  to  the  door  and 
bade  me  a  kindly  welcome.  Then  the  three  old  men  all 
began  to  talk  to  me  together,  and  when  they  said  what 
they  had  to  say  about  the  fine  weather,  and  the  road,  and 
the  quality  of  the  horse,  and  whatever  else  came  into 

yfA^of  ran      ^ 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  325 

• 

their  antiquated  heads,  they  led  the  horse  off  to  the  sta 
ble  and  proceeded  to  get  me  a  fresh  one.  While  they 
were  doing  that  the  elderly  B  lady  went  back  into  the 
house  and  called  aloud  for  some  person  within.  Pres 
ently  a  fine  buxom  young  girl,  about  seventeen  years  of 
age,  made  her  appearance  at  the  door.  I  flattered  my 
self  she  wore  rather  a  pleased  expression  when  she  saw 
me;  but  that  might  have  been  the  customary  cast  of  her 
features,  or  vanity  on  my  part.  At  all  events,  there  was 
a  glowing  bloom  in  her  cheeks,  and  a  penetrating  bril 
liancy  in  her  large  blue  eyes,  wonderfully  fascinating  to 
one  who  had  not  recently  looked  upon  any  thing  very 
attractive  in  the  line  of  female  loveliness.  She  was  cer 
tainly  a  model  of  rustic  beauty — I  had  rarely  seen  her 
equal  in  any  country.  Nothing  could  be  more  lithe  and 
graceful  than  her  form,  which  was  advantageously  set 
off  by  a  tight  bodice  and  a  very  scanty  petticoat.  A  pair 
of  red  wToolen  stockings  conspicuously  displayed  the  fine 
contour  of  her — ankles  I  suppose  is  the  conventional  ex 
pression,  though  I  mean  a  great  deal  more  than  that. 
As  she  sprang  down  the  steps  with  a  light  and  elastic 
bound,  and  took  hold  of  the  horse,  which  by  this  time 
the  three  old  men  were  fumbling  at  to  harness  in  the 
cariole,  I  unconsciously  thought  of  Diana  Vernon.  She 
had  all  the  daring  grace  and  delicacy  of  the  Scotch  hero 
ine — only  in  a  rustic  way.  Seizing  the  horse  by  the  bri 
dle,  she  backed  him  up  in  a  jiffy  between  the  shafts  of 
the  cariole,  and  pushing  the  old  gray-heads  aside  with  a 
merry  laugh,  proceeded  to  arrange  the  harness.  Having 
paid  the  boy  who  had  come  over  from  the  last  station, 
and  put  my  name  and  destination  in  the  day-book,  ac 
cording  to  law,  I  refreshed  myself  by  a  glass  of  ale,  and 
then  came  out  to  see  if  all  was  ready.  The  girl  nodded 
to  me  smilingly  to  get  in  and  be  off. 

I  looked  around  for  the  boy  who  was  to  accompany 
me.  Nobody  in  the  shape  of  a  boy  was  to  be  seen.  The 
three  old  men  had  returned  to  their  log  by  the  stable, 
and  now  sat  smoking  their  pipes  and  gossiping  as  usual, 


:;j(;  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

• 

and  the  good-natured  old  landlady  stood  smiling  and 
nodding  in  the  doorway.  Who  was  to  take  charge  of 
the  cariole?  that  was  the  ^question.  Was  I  to  go  alone? 
Suppose  I  should  miss  the  road  and  get  lost  in  some  aw 
ful  wilderness  ?  However,  these  questions  were  too  much 
for  my  limited  vocabulary  of  Norsk  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment.  So  I  mounted  the  cariole,  resolved  to  abide 
whatever  fate  Providence  might  have  in  store  for  me. 
The  girl  put  the  reins  in  my  hand  and  off  I  started,  won 
dering  why  these  good  people  left  me  to  travel  alone.  I 
thought  that  they  would  naturally  feel  some  solicitude 
about  their  property.  Scarcely  was  I  under  way,  when, 
with  a  bound  like  a  deer,  the  girl  was  up  on  the  cariole 
behind,  hanging  on  to  the  back  of  the  seat'  with  both 
hands.  Perfectly  aghast  with  astonishment,  I  pulled  the 
reins  and  stopped.  "  What !"  I  exclaimed,  in  the  best 
Norsk  I  could  muster,  "  is  the  Jomfru  going  with  me  ?" 
"eTa/"  answered  the  laughing  damsel,  in  a  merry,  ring 
ing  voice — "  Ja  !  Ja  !  Jey  vil  vise  de  Veieti ! — I  will 
show  you  the  way !" 

Here  was  a  predicament!  A  handsome  young  girl 
going  to  take  charge  of  me  through  a  perfectly  wild  and 
unknown  country !  I  turned  to  the  old  lady  at  the  door 
with  something  of  a  remonstrating  expression,  no  doubt, 
for  I  felt  confused  and  alarmed.  How  the  deuce  was  I, 
a  solitary  and  inexperienced  traveler  from  California,  to 
defend  myself  against  such  eyes,  such  blooming  cheeks, 
such  honeyed  lips  and  pearly  teeth  as  these,  to  say  noth 
ing  of  a  form  all  grace  and  agility,  a  voice  that  was  the 
very  essence  of  melody,  and  the  fascinating  smiles  and 
blandishments  of  this  wild  young  creature!  It  was 
enough  to  puzzle  and  confound  any  man  of  ordinary 
susceptibility,  much  less  one  who  had  a  natural  terror 
of  the  female  sex.  I  Jut  I  suppose  it  was  all  right.  The 
old  lady  nodded  approvingly ;  and  the  three  old  men 
smoked  their  pipes,  and,  touching  their  red  night-caps, 
bid  me — Farrel!  mecjet  god reise  ! — a  pleasant  trip !  So, 
without  more  ado,  I  cracked  the  whip,  an<l  <>H'\\o  start- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  327 

ed.  It  was  not  my  fault,  that  was  certain.   My  conscience 
was  clear  of  any  bad  intentions. 

We  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  station,  and  then 
came  a  steep  hill.  While  the  pony  was  pulling  and  tug 
ging  with  all  his  might,  the  girl  bounced  off,  landing  like 
a  wood-nymph  about  six  feet  in  the  rear  of  the  cariole ; 
when,  with  strides  that  perfectly  astonished  me,  she  be 
gan  to  march  np  the  hill,  singing  a  lively  Norwegian  dit 
ty  as  she  sprang  over  the  ruts  and  ridges  of  the  road.  I 
halted  in  amazement.  This  would  never  do.  Respect 
for  the  gentler  sex  would  not  permit  me  to  ride  up  the 
hill  while  so  lovely  a  creature  was  taking  it  on  foot. 
Governed  by  those  high  principles  of  gallantry,  aug 
mented  and  cultivated  by  long  residence  in  California,  I 
jumped  out  of  the  cariole,  and  with  persuasive  eloquence 
begged  the  fair  damsel  to  get  in  and  drive  up  the  hill 
on  my  account;  that  I  greatly  preferred  walking;  the 
exercise  was  congenial — I  liked  it.  At  this  she  looked 
astonished,  if  not  suspicious.  I  fancied  she  was  not  used 
to  that  species  of  homage.  At  all  events,  she  stoutly 
declined  getting  in  ;  and  since  it  was  impossible  for  me 
to  ride  under  the  circumstances,  I  walked  by  her  side  to 
the  top  of  the  hill.  A  coolness  was  evidently  growing 
up  between  us,  for  she  never  spoke  a  word  all  the  way ;' 
and  I  was  too  busy  trying  to  keep  the  horse  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  road  and  save  my  breath  to  make  any  farther 
attempts  at  conversation. 

Having  at  length  reached  the  summit,  the  girl  direct 
ed  me  to  take  my  place,  which  I  did  at  once  with  great 
alacrity.  With  another  active  bound  she  was  up  behind, 
holding  on  as  before  with  both  hands  to  the  back  of  the 
seat.  Then  she  whistled  to  the  horse  in  a  style  he  seemed 
to  understand  perfectly  well,  for  away  he  dashed  down 
the  hill  at  a  rate  of  speed  that  I  was  certain  would  very 
soon  result  in  utter  destruction  to  the  whole  party.  It 
was  awful  to  think  of  being  pitched  out  and  rolling  down 
the  precipice,  in  the  arms  perhaps  of  this  dashing  young 
damsel,  who,  being  accustomed  to  the  road,  would  doubt-* 
less  exert  herself  to  save  me. 


:j28  THE  LAM)  OF  TIIUR. 

"JVw  /  Reise  !  JReise  ! — travel !"  cried  this  extraordina 
ry  girl  j  and  away  we  went,  over  rocks,  into  ruts,  against 
roots  and  bushes ;  bouncing,  springing,  splashing,  and 
dashing  through  mud-holes  ;  down  hill  and  still  down ; 
whirling  past  terrific  pits,  jagged  pinnacles  of  rock,  and 
yawning  gulfs  of  darkness ;  through  gloomy  patches  of 
pine,  out  again  into  open  spaces,  and  along  the  brinks  of 
fearful  precipices;  over  rickety  wooden  bridges,  and 
through  foaming  torrents  that  dashed  out  over  the  road, 
the  wild  girl  clinging  fast  behind,  the  little  pony  flying 
along  madly  in  front,  the  cariole  creaking  and  rattling 
as  if  going  to  pieces,  myself  hanging  on  to  the  reins  in  a 
perfect  agony  of  doubt  whether  each  moment  would  not 
be  our  last.  I  declare,  on  the  faith  of  a  traveler,  it  beat 
all  the  dangers  I  had  hitherto  encountered  summed  up 
together.  Trees  whirled  by,  waterfalls  flashed  upon  my 
astonished  eyes,  streaks  of  sunshine  fretted  the  gloom 
with  a  net-work  of  light  that  dazzled  and  confounded 
me.  I  could  see  nothing  clearly.  There  was  a  horrible 
jumble  in  my  mind  of  black  rocks  and  blue  eyes,  pine 
forests  and  flaming  red  stockings,  flying  clouds  and  fly 
ing  petticoats,  the  roar  of  torrents  and  the  ringing  voice 
of  the  maiden  as  she  cried  "Flue!  Gaae!  JReise  ! — Fly  ! 
Go  it!  Travel!"  Only  one  thought  was  uppermost — 
the  fear  of  being  dashed  to  pieces.  Great  heavens,  what 
a  fate !  If  I  could  only  stop  this  infernal  little  pony,  AVC 
might  yet  be  saved !  But  I  dared  not  attempt  it.  The 
slightest  pull  at  the  reins  would  throw  him  upon  his 
haunches,  and  cariole  and  all  would  go  spinning  over  him 
into  some  horrible  abyss.  All  this  time  the  wild  damsel 
behind  was  getting  more  and  more  excited.  Now  she 
whistled,  now  she  shouted  "Skyndepa! — Faster!  fast 
er!"  till,  fairly  carried  away  by  enthusiasm,  she  begged 
me  to  give  her  the  whip,  which  I  did,  with  a  faint  at 
tempt  at  prayer.  Again  she  whistled,  and  shouted 
"Skyndepa  !• — Faster!  faster!"  and  then  she  cracked  the 
most'. startling  and  incomprehensible  Norwegian  melo 
dies  with  the  whip,  absolutely  stunning  my  ears,  while 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  329 

she  shouted  "  Gaae!  Flue!  Eeise!—Go  it!  Fly  !  Trav 
el  !"  Faster  and  still  faster  we  flew  down  the  frightful 
hill.  The  pony  caught  the  infection  of  enthusiasm,  and 
now  broke  into  a  frantic  run.  "  Faster !  faster !"  shrieked 
the  wild  girl  in  a  paroxysm  of  delight. 

By  this  time  I  was  positively  beside  myself  with  ter 
ror.  No  longer  able  to  distinguish  the  flying  trees,  wa 
terfalls,  and  precipices,  I  closed  my  eyes  and  gasped  for 
breath.  Soon  the  fearful  bouncing  of  the  cariole  aroused 
me  to  something  like  consciousness.  We  had  struck  a 
rock,  and  were  now  spinning  along  the  edge  of  a  mighty 
abyss  on  one  wheel,  the  other  performing  a  sort  of  bal 
ance  in  the  air.  I  looked  ahead,  but  there  was  neither 
shape  nor  meaning  in  the  country.  It  was  all  a  wild 
chaos  of  destructive  elements — trees,  precipices,  red 
stockings,  and  whirling  petticoats — toward  which  we 
were  madly  flying. 

But  there  is  an  end  to  all  troubles  upon  earth.  With 
thanks  to  a  kind  Providence,  I  at  length  caught  sight  of 
a  long  stretch  of  level  road.  Although  there  were  sev 
eral  short  turns  to  be  made  before  reaching  it,  there  was 
still  hope  that  it  might  be  gained  without  any  more  seri 
ous  disaster  than  the  breaking  of  a  leg  or  an  arm.  Upon 
such  a  casualty  as  that  I  should  have  compromised  at 
once.  If  this  extraordinary  creature  behind  would  only 
stop  whistling  and  cracking  the  whip,  and  driving  the 
little  pony  crazy  by  her  inspiring  cries,  I  might  yet  suc 
ceed  in  steering  safely  into  the  level  road  ;  but  the  near 
er  we  approached  the  bottom  of  the  hill  the  wilder  she 
became — now  actually  dancing  on  the  little  board  with 
delight,  now  leaning  over  to  get  a  cut'  at  the  pony's  tail 
with  the  whip,  while  she  whistled  more  fiercely  than 
ever,  and  cried  out,  from  time  to  time,  '•'•Flue!  Gaae! 
Reise!"  Already  the  poor  animal  was  reeking  with 
sweat,  and  it  was  a  miracle  he  did  not  drop  dead  on  the 
road. 

However,  by  great  good -fortune,  aided  by  my  skill  in 
driving,  we  made  the  turns,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  331 

were  safely  jogging  along  the  level  road.  Almost  breath 
less,  and  quite  bewildered,  I  instinctively  turned  round 
to  see  what  manner  of  wild  being  this  girl  behind  was. 
If  you  believe  me,  she  was  leaning  over  my  shoulder, 
shaking  her  sides  laughing  at  me,  her  sparkling  blue  eyes 
now  all  ablaze  with  excitement,  her  cheeks  glowing  like 
peonies,  her  lips  wide  apart,  displaying  the  most  exqui 
site  set  of  teeth  I  ever  beheld,  while  her  long  golden  tress 
es,  bursting  from  the  red  handkerchief  which  served  as 
a  sort  of  crowning  glory  to  her  head,  floated  in  wavy 
ringlets  over  her  shoulders.  Hermosa!  it  was  enough 
to  thaw  an  anchorite !  She  was  certainly  very  pretty — 
there  was  no  doubt  of  that ;  full  of  life,  overflowing  with 
health  and  vitality,  and  delighted  at  the  confusion  and 
astonishment  of  the  strange  gentleman  she  had  taken  in 
charge. 

Can  any  body  tell  me  what  it  is  that  produces  such  a 
singular  sensation  when  one  looks  over  his  shoulder  and 
discovers  the  face  of  a  pretty  and  innocent  young  girl 
within  a  few  inches  of  his  own,  her  beautiful  eyes  spark 
ling  like  a  pair  of  stars,  and  shooting  magic  scintillations 
through  and  through  him,  body  and  soul,  while  her  breath 
falls  like  a  zephyr  upon  his  cheek?  Tell  me,  ye  who 
deal  in  metaphysics,  what  is  it?  There  is  certainly  a 
kind  of  charm  in  it,  against  which  no  mortal  man  is 
proof.  Though  naturally  prejudiced  against  the  female 
sex,  and  firmly  convinced  that  we  could  get  along  in  the 
world  much  better  without  them,  I  was  not  altogether 
insensible  to  beauty  in  an  artistical  point  of  view,  other 
wise  I  should  never  have  been  able  to  grace  the  pages 
of  HARPER  with  the  above  likeness  of  this  Norwegian 
sylph.  After  all,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  have  a 
way  about  them  which  makes  us  feel  overpowered  and 
irresponsible  in  their  presence.  Doubtless  this  fair  dam 
sel  was  unconscious  of  the  damage  she  was  inflicting 
upon  a  wayworn  and  defenseless  traveler.  Her  very 
innocence  was  itself  her  chiefest  charm.  Either  she  was 
the  most  innocent  or  the  most  designing  of  her  sex.  She 


332  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

thought  nothing  of  holding  on  to  my  shoulder,  and  talked 
as  glibly  and  pleasantly,  with  her  beaming  face  close  to 
my  ear,  as  if  I  had  been  her  brother  or  her  cousin,  or 
possibly  her  uncle,  though  I  did  not  exactly  like  to  regard 
it  in  that  point  of  view.  What  she  was  saying  I  could 
not  conjecture,  save  by  her  roguish  expression  and  her 
merry  peals  of  laughter. 

"  Jeg  kan  ikke  tale  Norsk/ — I  can't  speak  Norwe 
gian" — was  all  I  could  say,  at  which  she  laughed  more 
joyously  than  ever,  and  rattled  off  a  number  of  excellent 
jokes,  no  doubt  at  my  helpless  condition.  Indeed,  I 
strongly  suspected,  from  a  familiar  word  here  and  there, 
that  she  was  making  love  to  me  out  of  mere  sport,  though 
she  was  guarded  enough  not  to  make  any  intelligible 
demonstration  to  that  effect.  At  last  I  got  out  my  vo 
cabulary,  and  as  we  jogged  quietly  along  the  road,  by 
catching  a  word  now  and  then,  and  making  her  repeat 
what  she  said  very  slowly,  got  so  far  as  to  construct 
something  of  a  conversation. 

"What  is  your  name,  sken  Jumfru?"  I  asked. 

"  Maria,"  was  the  answer. 

"  A  pretty  name ;  and  Maria  is  a  very  pretty  girl." 

She  tossed  her  head  a  little  scornfully,  as  much  as  to 
say  Maria  was  not  to  be  fooled  by  flattery. 

"What  is  your  name?"  said  Maria,  after  a  pause. 

"Mine?     Oh,  I  have  forgotten  mine." 

"  Are  you  an  Englishman  ?" 

"No." 

"A  Frenchman?" 

"  No." 

"  A  Dutchman  ?" 

"  No — I  am  an  American." 

"  I  like  Americans — I  don't  like  Englishmen,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  Have  you  a  lover  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Are  you  going  to  be  married  to  him  ?" 

"  Yes,  in  about  six  months." 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  333 

"  I  wish  you  joy." 

"Thank  you!" 

At  this  moment  a  carriage  drawn  by  two  horses  hove 
in  sight.  It  was  an  English  traveling  party — an  old 
gentleman  and  two  ladies,  evidently  his  wife  and  daugh 
ter.  As  they  drew  near  they  seemed  to  be  a  little  per 
plexed  at  the  singular  equipage  before  them — a  small 
horse,  nearly  dead  and  lathered  all  over  with  foam ;  a 
cariole  bespattered  with  mud  ;  a  dashing  fine  girl  behind, 
with  flaunting  hair,  a  short  petticoat,  and  a  flaming  pair 
*of red  stockings;  myself  in  the  body  of  the  cariole,  cov 
ered  from  head  to  foot  with  mire,  my  beard  flying  out 
in  every  direction,  and  my  hair  still  standing  on  end 
from  the  eifects  of  recent  fright — a  very  singular  spec 
tacle  to  meet  in  the  middle  of  a  public  highway,  even  in 
Norway.  The  road  was  very  narrow  at  the  point  of 
meeting.  It  became  necessary  for  one  of  the  vehicles  to 
pull  up  the  side  of  the  hill  a  little  in  order  to  allow  room 
for  the  other  to  pass.  Being  the  lighter  party  as  well 
as  under  obligations  of  gallantry,  I  at  once  gave  way. 
While  endeavoring  to  make  a  passage,  the  old  gentleman 
gruffly  observed  to  the  public  generally, 

"What  an  excessively  bad  road!" 

"Very!"  said  I. 

"Beastly  !"  growled  the  Englishman. 

"  Abominable  !"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  you  are  an  Englishman  ?"  said  the  elderly  lady. 

"  No,  madam — an  American,"  I  answered,  with  great 
suavity. 

"  Oh,  an  American  !"  said  the  young  lady,  taking  out 
her  note-book ;  "  dear  me,  how  very  interesting !" 

"From  California,"  I  added,  with  a  smile  of  pride. 

"How  very  interesting!"  exclaimed  the  young  lady. 

"  A  great  country,"  said  I. 

"Gray,"  observed  the  elderly  lady,  in  an  under  tone, 
looking  very  hard  at  the  girl,  who  was  still  standing  on 
the  little  board  at  the  back  of  the  cariole,  and  who  cool 
ly  and  saucily  surveyed  the  traveling  party,  "  Gray,  is 
that  a  Norwegian  girl  ?" 


;j;U  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

"  Yes,  madam  ;  she  is  my  postillion,  only  she  rides  be 
hind,  according  to  the  Norwegian  custom." 

"  Dear  me !"  cried  the  young  lady,  "  how  very  inter 
esting  !" 

"  And  dangerous  too,"  I  observed. 

The  elderly  lady  looked  puzzled.  She  was  thinking 
of  dangers  to  which  I  had  no  reference. 

"  Dangerous  ?"  exclaimed  the  young  lady. 

"  Yes ;  she  came  near  breaking  my  neck  down  that 
hill;"  and  here  I  gave  the  party  a  brief  synopsis  of  the 
adventure. 

"  Devilish  odd !"  growled  the  old  Englishman,  impa 
tiently.  "  Good-day,  sir.  Come,  get  up !" 

The  elderly  lady  said  nothing,  but  looked  suspicious. 

"  Dear  me !"  exclaimed  the  young  lady,  as  they  drove 
off;  "  how  very — "  This  was  the  last  I  heard,  but  I  sup 
pose  she  considered  it  interesting.  The  whole  affair,  no 
doubt,  stands  fully  recorded  in  her  note-book. 

The  way  being  now  clear,  we  proceeded  on  our  jour 
ney.  In  a  little  while  the  station-house  was  in  sight,  and 
after  a  few  minutes'  drive  I  was  obliged  to  part  from  my 
interesting  companion.  At  first  I  hesitated  about  prof 
fering  the  usual  fee  of  four  shillings ;  but,  upon  reflec 
tion,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  had  no  right  to  consider 
her  any  thing  more  than  a  post-boy.  It  was  worth  some 
thing  extra  to  travel  with  one  so  lively  and  entertaining, 
so  I  handed  her  double  the  usual  allowance,  at  which  she 
made  a  very  polite  courtesy,  and  greatly  relieved  my 
embarrassment  by  giving  me  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand 
and  wishing  me  a  pleasant  journey.  This  was  the  last 
I  saw  of  my  Norwegian  Diana.  She  is  a  young  damsel 
of  great  beauty  and  vivacity,  not  to  say  a  little  wild.  I 
trust  she  is  now  happily  married  to  the  object  of  her 
affections. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  335 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

HOW    THEY  LIVE. 

EVEKY  where  on  the  route  through  the  interior  I  found 
the  peasants  kind,  hospitable,  and  simple-hearted.  Some 
times  I  made  a  detour  of  several  miles  from  the  main 
road  for  the  purpose  of  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  home- 
life  of  the  farmers ;  and,  imperfect  as  my  means  of  com 
munication  were,  I  never  had  any  difficulty  in  making 
acquaintance  with  them  after  announcing  myself  as  a 
traveler  from  California.  They  had  all  heard,  more  or 
less,  of  that  wonderful  land  of  gold,  and  entertained  the 
most  vague  and  exaggerated  notions  of  its  mineral  re 
sources.  It  was  not  uncommon  to  find  men  who  be 
lieved  that  the  whole  country  was  yellow  with  gold ; 
that  such  quantities  of  that  ore  abounded  in  it  as  to  be 
of  little  or  no  value.  When  I  told  them  that  the  country 
was  very  rich  in  the  precious  metals,  but  that  every  hill 
was  not  a  mass  of  gold,  nor  the  bed  of  every  river  lined 
with  rocks  and  pebbles  of  the  same  material,  they  looked 
a  little  incredulous,  not  to  say  disappointed.  Many  of 
them  seemed  surprised  that  a  Californian  should  be  trav 
eling  through  a  distant  land  like  Norway  merely  for 
amusement,  and  few  seemed  to  be  entirely  satisfied  when 
I  assured  them,  in  answer  to  their  questions,  that  I  was 
not  very  rich  ;  that  I  was  neither  a  merchant,  nor  a  spec 
ulator,  nor  the  owner  of  gold  mines,  but  simply  an  indif 
ferent  artist  making  sketches  of  their  country  for  pas 
time.  French,  German,  and  English  artists  they  could 
believe  in,  for  they  saw  plenty  of  them  in  the  wilds  of 
Norway  every  summer ;  but  what  use  would  such  a  poor 
business  be  in  California,  they  said,  where  every  man 
could  make  a  thousand  dollars  a  day  digging  for  gold  ? 
I  even  fancied  they  looked  at  my  rough  and  dusty  cos- 


336  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

tume  as  if  they  thought  it  conc'ealed  a  glittering  uniform, 
such  as  the  rich  men  of  my  country  must  naturally  wear 
when  they  go  abroad  to  visit  foreign  lands.  It  was  im 
possible  to  convince  them  that  I  was  not  extravagantly 
wealthy.  On  any  other  point  there  might  be  room  for 
doubt,  but  the  pertinacity  with  which  they  insisted  upon 
that  afforded  me  much  amusement;  and  since  I  could 
not  dispel  the  illusion,  it  generally  cost  me  a  few  extra 
shillings  when  I  had  any  thing  to  pay  to  avoid  the  stigma 
of  meanness.  Not  that  my  extraordinary  wealth  ever 
gave  them  a  plea  for  imposition  or  extortion.  Such  an 
idea  never  entered  their  heads.  On  the  contrary,  their 
main  purpose  seemed  to  be  to  show  every  possible  kind 
ness  to  the  distinguished  stranger ;  and  more  than  once, 
at  some  of  the  post-stations,  I  had  to  remind  them  of 
things  which  they  had  omitted  in  the  charge.  For  this 
very  reason  I  was  in  a  measure  compelled  to  be  rather 
more  profuse  than  travelers  usually  are,  so  that  the  state 
from  which  I  have  the  honor  to  hail  owes  me  a  consid 
erable  amount  of  money  by  this  time  for  the  handsome 
manner  in  which  I  have  sustained  its  reputation.  At 
some  of  the  stopping-places  on  the  road,  where  I  obtain 
ed  lodgings  for  the  night,  it  was  not  uncommon  to  find 
intelligent  and  educated  families  of  cultivated  manners. 
Education  of  late  years  has  made  considerable  progress 
in  Norway;  and  the  rising  generation,  owing  to  the 
facilities  afforded  by  the  excellent  school  system  estab 
lished  throughout  the  country,  but  especially  in  the  prin 
cipal  towns,  will  not  be  in  any  respect  behind  the  times, 
so  far  as  regards  intellectual  progress.  It  is  the  simplic 
ity  and  honesty  of  these  good  people,  however,  that  form 
their  principal  and  most  charming  characteristic.  To 
one  long  accustomed  to  sharp  dealing  and  unscrupulous 
trickery,  it  is  really  refreshing  their  confidence  in  the  in 
tegrity  of  a  stranger.  Usually  they  left  the  settlement 
of  accounts  to  myself,  merely  stating  that  I  must  determ 
ine  what  I  owed  by  adding  up  the  items  according  to 
(he  laritV;  and,  although  my  knowledge  of  the  language 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  337 

was  so  limited,  I  nowhere  had  the  slightest  approach  to 
a  dispute  about  the  payment  of  expenses.  On  one  occa 
sion,  not  wishing  to  forfeit  this  confidence,  I  was  obliged 
to  ride  back  half  a  mile  to  pay  for  two  cigars  which  I 
had  forgotten  in  making  up  the  reckoning,  and  of  which 
the  inn-keeper  had  not  thought  proper  to  remind  me,  or 
had  forgotten  to  keep  any  account  himself.  No  surprise 
was  manifested  at  this  conscientious  act — the  inn-keeper 
merely  nodding  good-naturedly  when  I  handed  him  the 
money,  with  the  remark  that  it  was  "  all  right." 

In  the  districts  remote  from  the  sea-ports,  the  peas 
ants,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  are  extremely  ignorant 
of  the  great  outside  world.  Sweden  and  Denmark  are 
the  only  countries  known  to  them  besides  their  own 
"  Gamle  Norge,"  save  such  vague  notions  of  other  lands 
as  they  pick  up  from  occasional  travelers.  To  them 
"  Amerika"  is  a  terra  incognita.  A  letter  once  or  twice 
a  year  from  some  emigrant  to  the  members  of  his  family 
goes  the  rounds  of  the  district,  and  gives  them  all  the 
knowledge  they  have  of  that  distant  land  of  promise ; 
and  when  they  listen,  with  gaping  eyes  and  open  mouths, 
to  the  wonderful  stories  of  adventure,  life,  enterprise,  and 
wealth  detailed  by  the  enthusiastic  rover,  it  is  no  won 
der  they  shake  their  heads  and  say  that  Christian,  or 
Hans,  or  Ole  (as  the  case  may  be),  "  always  was  a  capi 
tal  fellow  at  drawing  a  long  bow."  They  firmly  believe 
in  ghosts  and  supernatural  visitations  of  all  sorts,  but 
are  very  incredulous  about  any  country  in  the  world 
being  equal  to  "  Gamle  Norge."  Naturally  enough,  they 
consider  their  climate  the  most  genial,  their  barren  rocks 
the  most  fertile,  their  government  the  best  and  most  lib 
eral  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  themselves  the  most 
highly  favored  of  the  human  race.  Goldsmith  must  have 
had  special  reference  to  the  Norwegians  when  he  sang 
of  "  that  happiest  spot  below :" 

"The  shuddering  tenant  of  the  frigid  zone 
Boldly  proclaims  the  happiest  spot  his  own." 

And  why  should  they  be  otherwise  than  contented — 
P 


338  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

if  such  a  thing  as  contentment  can  exist  upon  earth? 
They  have  few  wants  and  many  children  ;  a  country  free 
from  internal  commotion,  and -too  far  removed  from  the 
great  scenes  of  European  strife  to  excite  the  jealousy 
of  external  powers*;  sufficient  food  and  raiment  to  satis 
fy  the  ordinary  necessities  of  life,  and  no  great  extremes 
of  wealth  or  poverty  to  militate  against  their  independ 
ence,  either  in  a  political  or  social  point  of  view.  With 
good  laws,  an  excellent  Constitution,  and  a  fair  repre 
sentation  in  the  Storthing,  they  are  justly  proud  of  their 
freedom,  and  deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  patriot 
ism. 

Very  little  of  poverty  or  beggary  is  to  be  seen  by  the 
wayside  during  a  tour  through  Norway.  Only  at  one 
point  between  Kringelen  and  Laurgaard — a  wild  and 
barren  district  exceedingly  savage  in  its  aspect,  situated 
in  a  narrow  gorge  of  the  mountains  near  the  head  of  the 
Logen — was  I  solicited  for  alms.  A  portion  of  this  route, 
after  passing  Sinclair's  Monument,  is  rudely  fenced  in, 
so  as  to  render  available  every  foot  of  the  narrow  valley. 
The  road  passes  directly  through  the  little  farms,  which 
at  this  stage  of  the  journey  are  poor  and  unproductive. 
The  climate  is  said  to  be  very  severe  in  this  district,  in 
consequence  of  its  altitude,  and  the  sharp  winds  which 
sweep  down  from  the  mountain  gorges.  At  every  gate 
way  a  gang  of  ragged  little  children  always  stood  ready 
to  open  the  gate,  for  which,  of  course,  they  expected  a 
few  shillings;  and  as  these  gates  occur  at  intervals  of 
every  few  hundred  yards  for  some  distance,  it  produces 
a  sensible  effect  upon  one's  purse  to  get  through.  Pass 
ing  through  some  wretched  hamlets  in  this  vicinity, 
crowds  of  old  women  hobbled  out  to  beg  alms,  and  I  did 
not  get  clear  of  the  regiments  of  children  who  ran  along 
behind  the  cariolc  to  receive  the  remainder  of  my  small 
change  for  several  miles.  Strange  to  say,  this  was  the 
only  place  during  my  rambles  through  the  interior  in 
which  I  saw  any  thing  like  beggary.  Generally  speak 
ing,  tin-  fjiriiuiig  lands  are  sufficiently  productive  to  sup- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  339 

ply  all  the  wants  of  the  peasants,  and  many  of  the  farm 
ers  are  even  comfortably  situated. 

»  The  houses  in  which  these  country  people  reside  are 
not  altogether  unlike  the  small  log  cabins  of  the  early 
settlers  on  our  Western  frontier.  I  have  seen  many  such 
on  the  borders  of  Missouri  and  Kansas.  Built  in  the 
most  primitive  style  of  pine  logs,  they  stand  upon  stumps 
or  columns  of  stone,  elevated  some  two  or  three  feet  from 
the  ground,  in  order  to  allow  a  draft  of  air  underneath, 
which  in  this  humid  climate  is  considered  necessary  for 
health.  They  seldom  consist  of  more  than  two  or  three 
rooms,  but  make  up  in  number  what  they  lack  in  size. 
Thus  a  single  farming  establishment  often  comprises 
some  ten  or  a  dozen  little  cabins,  besides  the  large  barn, 
which  is  the  nucleus  around  which  they  all  centre ;  with 
smaller  cribs  for  pigs,  chickens,  etc.,  and  here  and  there 
a  shed  for  the  cows  and  sheep,  all  huddled  together 
among  the  rocks  or  on  some  open  hill-side,  without  the 
least  apparent  regard  to  direction  or  architectural  effect. 
The  roofs  are  covered  with  sod,  upon  which  it  is  not  un 
common  to  see  patches  of  oats,  weeds,  moss,  flowers,  or 
whatever  comes  most  convenient  to  form  roots  and  give 
consistency  and  strength  to  this  singular  overtopping. 
The  object,  I  suppose,  is  to  prevent  the  transmission  of 
heat  during  the  severe  season  of  winter.  Approaching 
some  of  these  hamlets  or  fanning  establishments  during 
the  summer  months,  the  traveler  is  frequently  at  a  loss 
to  distinguish  their  green-sodded  roofs  from  the  natural 
sod  of  the  hill-sides,  so  that  one  is  liable  at  any  time  to 
plunge  into  the  midst  of  a  settlement  before  he  is  aware 
of  its  existence.  Something  of  a  damp,  earthy  look  about 
them,  the  weedy  or  grass-covered  tops,  the  logs  green 
and  moss-grown,  the  dripping  eaves,  the  veins  of  water 
oozing  out  of  the  rocks,  give  them  a  peculiarly  Xorthern 
and  chilling  effect,  and  fill  the  mind  with  visions  of  Jong 
and  dreary  winters,  rheumatisms,  colds,  coughs,  and  con 
sumptions,  to  which  it  is  said  these  people  are  subject. 
Xothing  so  wild  and  primitive  is  to  be  seen  in  any  other 


340  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

part  of  Europe.  A  silence  almost  death-like  hangs  over 
these  little  hamlets  during  a  great  part  of  the  day,  when 
the  inhabitants  are  out  in  the  hills  attending  their  flock* 
or  cultivating  their  small  patches  of  ground.  I  passed 
many  groups  of  cabins  without  seeing  the  first  sign  of 
life,  save  now  and  then  a  few  chickens  or  pigs  rooting 
about  the  barn-yard.  The  constant  impression  was  that 
it  was  Sunday,  or  at  least  a  holiday,  and  that  the  people 
were  either  at  church  or  asleep.  For  one  who  seeks  re 
tirement  from  the  busy  haunts  of  life,  where  he  can  in 
dulge  in  uninterrupted  reflection,  I  know  of  no  country 
that  can  equal  Norway.  There  are  places  in  the  interior 
where  I  am  sure  he  would  be  astonished  at  the  sound  of 
his  own  voice.  The  deserts  of  Africa  can  scarcely  pre 
sent  a  scene  of  such  utter  isolation.  With  a  rod  in  his 
hand,  he  can,  if  given  to  the  gentle  art,  sit  and  dream 
upon  some  mossy  bank, 

"In  close  covert  by  some  brook, 
Where  no  profaner  eye  may  look, 
And  hide  him  from  day's  garish  noon." 

Thus  you  often  come  upon  an  English  sportsman  wait 
ing  for  a  nibble. 

The  food  of  the  peasants  consists  principally  of  black 
bread,  milk,  butter,  and  cheese.  Meat  is  too  expensive 
for  very  general  use,  though  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
they  indulge  in  it  once  or  twice  a  week.  Coffee  is  a  lux 
ury  to  which  they  are  much  addicted.  Even  the  poorest 
classes  strain  a  point  to  indulge  in  this  favorite  narcotic. 
and  in  no  part  of  Norway  did  I  fail  to  get  a  good  cup 
of  coffee.  It  is  a  very  curious  fact  that  the  best  coffee 
to  be  had  at  the  most  fashionable  hotels  on  the  Conti 
nent  of  Europe — always  excepting  Paris — is  inferior  to 
that  furnished  to  the  traveler  at  the  commonest  station- 
house  in  Norway.  This  is  indeed  one  of  the  luxuries  of 
a  tour  through  this  part  of  Scandinavia.  The  cream  is 
rich  and  pure,  and  it  is  a  rare  treat  to  get  a  large  bowl 
ful  of  it  for  breakfast,  with  as  much  milk  as  you  please, 
and  no  limit  to  bread  and  butter.  Your  appetite  is  not 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB. 


341 


WAITING  FOE  A   NIBBLE. 


measured  by  infinitesimal  bits  and  scraps  as  in  Germany. 
A  good  wholesome  meal  is  spread  before  you  in  the  gen 
uine  backwoods  style,  and  you  may  eat  as  much  as  you 
please,  which  is  a  rare  luxury  to  one  who  has  been  stint 
ed  and  starved  at  the  hotels  on  the  Continent.  I  remem 
ber,  at  one  station  beyond  the  Dovre  Fjeld,  Bennett's 
Hand-book  says,  "  Few  rooms,  but  food  supplied  in  first- 
rate  style  when  Miss  Marit  is  at  home.  She  will  be  much 
offended  if  you  do  not  prove  that  you  have  a  good  appe 
tite."  On  my  arrival  at  this  place,  not  wishing  to  offend 
Miss  Marit — for  whom  I  entertained  the  highest  respect 
in  consequence  of  her  hospitable  reputation — I  called  for 
every  thing  I  could  think  of,  and  when  it  was  placed 


342  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

upon  the  table  by  that  accomplished  young  lady  (a  very 
pleasant,  pretty  young  woman,  by-the-way),  fell  to  work 
and  made  it  vanish  at  a  most  astonishing  rate.  Miss 
Marit  stood  by  approvingly.  During  a  pause  in  my 
heavy  labors  I  called  the  attention  of  this  estimable  per 
son  to  her  own  name  in  the  printed  pamphlet,  at  which 
she  blushed  and  looked  somewhat  confused.  Possibly 
there  might  be  a  mistake  about  it. 

"  Your  name  is  Miss  Marit  ?"  I  asked,  very  politely. 

"Ja."  , 

"  And  this  is  Miss  Marit  in  print  ?" 

"Ja." 

She  took  the  book  and  tried  to  read  it. 

"Nikka  Forstoe  !" — she  didn't  understand. 

"  What  does  it  say  ?"  she  asked,  rather  gravely. 

Here  was  a  job — to  translate  the  paragraph  into  Nor 
wegian  !  Besides,  it  would  not  do  to  translate  it  literal 
ly,  so  I  made  a  sort  of  impromptu  paraphrase  upon  it. 

"  Oh  !  it  says  Miss  Marit  is  a  very  pretty  young  lady." 

"  Ja!" — blushing  and  looking  somewhat  astonished. 

"  And  Miss  Marit  is  a  very  nice  housekeeper." 

"Ja." 

"  And  Miss  Marit  makes  splendid  coffee,  and  thorough 
ly  understands  how  to  cook  a  beefsteak." 

"Ja!" 

"And  Miss  Marit  would  make  a  most  excellent  wife 
for  any  young  gentleman  who  could  succeed  in  winning 
her  affections !" 

"Neil"  said  the  young  lady,  blushing  again,  and  look 
ing  more  astonished  than  ever. 

"  Jn,"  said  I,  "it  is  all  in  print" — adding,  with  an  in 
ternal  reservation,  "or  ought  to  be." 

Who  can  blame  me  for  paying  tribute  to  Miss  Marit's 
kindness  and  hospitality?  She  is  certainly  deserving 
of  much  higher  praise  than  that  bestowed  upon  her,  and 
I  hope  Mr.  Bennett  will  pardon  me  for  the  liberal  style 
of  my  translation.  If  he  didn't  mean  all  I  said,  let  the 
responsibility  rest  upon  me,  for  I  certainly  meant  every 
word  of  it. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  343 

The  farming  districts  are  limited  chiefly  to  the  valleys 
along  the  river-courses,  and  such  portions  of  arable  land? 
as  lie  along  the  shores  of  the  Fjords.  A  large  propor 
tion  of  the  country  is  extremely  wild  and  rugged,  and 
covered,  for  the  most  part,  with  dense  pine  forests.  The 
peasants  generally  own  their  own  farms,  which  are  small, 
and  cut  up  into  patches  of  pasture,  grain-lands,  and  tracts 
of  forest.  Even  the  most  unpromising  nooks  among  the 
rocks,  in  many  parts  of  the  Gudbransdalen  Valley,  where 
plows  are  wholly  unavailable,  are  rooted  up  by  means  of 
hoes,  and  planted  with  oats  and  other  grain.  I  some 
times  saw  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  of  these  little  arable 
patches  perched  up  among  the  rocks,  hundreds  of  feet 
above  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  where  it  would  seem  dan 
gerous  for  goats  to  browse.  The  log  cabins  peep  out 
from  among  the  rocks  and  pine-clad  cliffs  all  along  the 
course  of  the  Logen,  giving  the  country  a  singular  speck 
led  appearance.  This,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  one  of 
the  best  districts  in  the  interior.  The  richest  agricultu 
ral  region  is  said  to  be  that  bordering  on  the  shores  of 
the  Miosen.  One  of  the  comforts  enjoyed  by  the  peas 
ants,  and  without  which  it  would  scarcely  be  possible  for 
them  to  exist  in  such  a  rigorous  climate,  consists  in  the 
unlimited  quantity  of  fuel  to  which  they  have  such  easy 
access.  This  is  an  inconceivable  luxury  during  the  long 
winter  months  ;  and  their  large  open  fireplaces  and  blaz 
ing  fires,  even  in  the  cool  summer  evenings,  constantly 
remind  one  of  the  homes  of  the  settlers  in  the  Far  West. 
When  the  roads  are  covered  with  snow  the  true  season 
of  internal  communication  commences.  Then  the  means 
of  transportation  and  travel  are  greatly  facilitated,  and 
the  clumsy  wagons  used  in  summer  are  put  aside  for  the 
lighter  and  more  convenient  sledges  with  which  every 
farmer  is  abundantly  provided.  All  along  the  route  the 
snow-plows  may  be  seen  turned  up  against  the  rocks, 
ready  to  be  used  during  the  winter  to  clear  and  level  the 
roads.  In  summer  the  means  of  transportation  arc  little 
better  than  those  existing  between  Placerville  and  Car 
son  Vallev. 


344 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


BNOW-PLOW. 


It  was  during  the  height  of  the  harvesting  season  that 
I  passed  through  the  Gudbransdalen.  One  of  the  most 
characteristic  sights  at  this  time  of  the  year  is  the  ex 
traordinary  amount  of  labor  imposed  upon  the  women, 
who  seem  really  to  do  most  of  the  heavy  work.  I  thought 
I  had  seen  the  last  of  that  in  the  Thuringerwald,  Oden- 
wald,  and  Schwartzwald,  while  on  a  foot-tour  through 
Germany ;  but  even  the  Germans  are  not  so  far  advanced 
in  civilization  in  this  respect  as  the  Norwegians,  who  do 
not  hesitate  to  make  their  women  cut  wood,  haul  logs, 
pull  carts,  row  boats,  fish,  and  perform  various  other  kinds 
of  labor  usually  allotted  to  the  stronger  sex,  which  even 
a  German  would  consider  rather  heavy  for  his  "  frow." 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


345 


The  men,  in  addition  to  this  ungallant  trait,  are  much 
addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco  and  native  corn-brandy — 
which,  however,  I  can  not  but  regard  as  a  sign  of  civili- 


A   DRIXICTNG  BOOT. 


zation,  since  the  same  habits  exist,  to  some  extent,  in  our 
own  country.     Chewing  and  drinking  are  just  as  com 
mon  as  in  California,  the  most  enlightened  country  in  the 
P2 


;H(J  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

world.  Wherever  I  saw  a  set  of  drunken  fellows  roar- 
ing  and  rollicking  at  some  wayside  inn,  their  faces  smear- 
ed  with  tobacco,  and  their  eyes  rolling  in  their  heads,  I 
naturally  felt  drawn  toward  them  by  the  great  free-ma 
sonry  of  familiar  customs. 

The  system  of  farming  followed  by  the  peasants  is  ex 
ceedingly  primitive,  though  doubtless  well  adapted  to  the 
climate  and  soil.  Nothing  can  be  more  striking  to  a 
stranger  than  the  odd  shapes  of  the  wagons  and  carts, 
and  the  rudeness  of  the  agricultural  implements,  which 
must  be  patterned  upon  those  in  vogue  during  the  time 
of  Odin,  the  founder  of  the  Norwegian  race.  Owing  to 
the  humidity  of  the  climate,  it  is  necessary  in  harvest 
time  to  dry  the  hay  and  grain  by  staking  it  out  in  the 
fields  on  long  poles,  so  that  the  sun  and  air  may  pene 
trate  every  part  of  it.  The  appearance  of  a  farm  is  thus 
rendered  unique  as  well  as  picturesque.  In  the  long  twi 
light  nights  of  summer  these  ghostly  stakes  present  the 
appearance  of  a  gang  of  heathenish  spirits  standing  about 
in  the  fields,  with  their  long  beards  waving  in  the  air, 
and  their  dusky  robes  trailing  over  the  stubbles.  The 
figures  thus  seen  at  every  turn  of  the  road  often  assume 
the  most  striking  spectral  forms,  well  calculated  to  aug 
ment  those  wild  superstitions  which  prevail  throughout 
the  country.  It  was  impossible  for  me  ever  to  get  quite 
rid  of  the  idea  that  they  were  descendants  of  the  old 
Scandinavian  gods,  holding  counsel  over  the  affairs  of 
the  nation,  especially  when  some  passing  breeze  caused 
their  arms  and  robes  to  flutter  in  the  twilight,  and  their 
heads  to  swing  to  and  fro,  as  if  in  the  enthusiasm  of 
their  ghostly  deliberations. 

Mingled  with  the  wild  superstitions  of  the  people  their 
|>iety  is  a  prominent  trait.  Their  prevailing  religion  is 
Kpiscopal  Lutheran,  though  Catholicism  and  other  relig 
ions  are  tolerated  by  an  act  of  the  Storthing,  with  the 
exception  of  Mormonism,  which  is  prohibited  by  law.  A 
considerable  number  of  proselytes  to  that  sect  have  em 
igrated  to  Salt  Lake.  This  prevailing  spirit  of  piety 


348 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


is  observable  even  in  the  wildest  parts  of  the  country, 
where  every  little  hamlet  has  its  church,  and  neither  old 
nor  young  neglect  their  religious  services.  Most  of  these 


JSOKWl-.Cil.YN    CIIUUOII. 


churches  are  built  of  wood,  with  a  steeple  of  the  same 
material,  shingled  over  and  painted  black,  so  as  to  pre 
sent  the  most  striking  contrast  to  the  snows  which  cover 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


349 


the  face  of  the  country  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year. 

The  parish  schoolmaster  is  a  most  important  person 
age  in  these  rural  districts.  He  it  is  who  trains  up  the 
rising  generation,  teaches  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot, 
and 

"Out  of  great  things  and  small  draweth  the  secrets  of  the  uni 


PARISH   SCHOOLMASTER. 


He  is  greatly  revered  by  the  simple-minded  old  farmers, 
is  cherished  and  respected  by  the  mothers  of  families, 
enthusiastically  admired  and  generally  aspired  to  by  the 
village  belles,  and  held  in  profound  awe  by  all  the  little 
urchins  of  the  neighborhood.  He  speaketh  unknown 


350  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

tonguos  ;  he  cliveth  into  the  depths  of  abstruse  sciences ; 
lie  talketh  with  the  air  of  one  burdened  with  much  learn 
ing  ;  he  "  argu eth  the  cycles  of  the  stars  from  a  pebble 
flung  by  a  child  ;"  he  likewise  teacheth  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic,  and  applieth  the  rod  to  the  juvenile  seat 
of  understanding,  as  shown  on  the  preceding  page. 

Soon  after  leaving  Storkterstad,  a  station  about  two 
days'  journey  from  Lillehammer,  on  the  main  road  to 
Trondbjem,  I  passed  through  a  very  steep  and  rugged 
detile  in  the  mountains,  with  jngged  rocks  on  the  right 
and  the  foaming  waters  of  the  Logcn  on  the  left,  where 
my  attention  was  called  by  tke  skydskaarl  to  a  small 
monument  by  the  roadside  bearing  an  inscription  com 
memorative  of  the  death  of  Colonel  Sinclair.  If  I  re 
member  correctly,  a  fine  description  is  given  of  this  cele 
brated  passage  by  Mogge,  whose  graphic  sketches  of 
Norwegian  scenery  I  had  frequent  occasion  to  admire, 
during  my  tour,  for  their  beauty  and  accuracy.  I  fully 
agree  with  my  friend  Bayard  Taylor,  that  the  traveler 
can  find  no  better  guide  to  the  Fjelds  and  Fjords  of  this 
wild  country  than  "  Afraja"  and  "Life  and  Love  in  Nor 
way."  Laing  has  also  given  an  interesting  account  of 
the  massacre  of  Colonel  Sinclair's  party.  From  his  ver 
sion  of  this  famous  incident  in  Norwegian  history  it  ap 
pears  that,  during  the  war  between  Christian  the  Fourth 
of  Denmark  and  Gustavus  Adolphus  of  Sweden,  while 
the  Danes  held  the  western  coast  of  Norway,  Colonel 
Sinclair,  a  Scotchman,  desiring  to  render  assistance  to 
the  Swedes,  landed  at  Romsdalen,  on  the  coast,  with  a 
party  of  nine  hundred  followers.  Another  detachment 
of  his  forces  landed  at  Trondhjem.  It  was  their  inlih- 
tion  to  fight  their  way  across  the  mountains  and  join  the 
Swedish  forces  on  the  frontier.  Sinclair's  party  met  with 
no  resistance  till  they  arrived  at  the  pass  of  Kringelun, 
where  three  hundred  peasants,  hearing  of  their  approach, 
had  prepared  an  ambush.  Every  thing  was  arranged 
with  the  utmost  secrecy.  An  abrupt  mountain  on  the 
right,  abounding  in  immense  masses  of  loose  rock,  fur- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  351 

nished  the  means  of  a  terrible  revenge  for  the  ravages 
committed  by  the  Scotch  on  their  march  from  Romsda- 
len.  The  road  winds  around  the  foot  of  this  mountain, 
making  a  narrow  pass,  hemmed  in  by  the  roaring  tor 
rents  of  the  Logen  on  the  one  side  and  abrupt  cliffs  on 
the  other.  Across  the  river,  which  here  dashes  with 
frightful  rapidity  through  the  narrow*  gorge  of  the 
mountains,  the  country  wears  an  exceedingly  weird  and 
desolate  aspect;  the  ravines  and  summits  of  the  mount 
ains  are  darkened  by  gloomy  forests  of  pine,  relieved 
only  by  hoary  and  moss-covered  cliffs  overhanging  the 
rushing  waters  of  the  Logen.  On  the  precipitous  slopes 
of  the  pass,  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  road,  the  peasants 
gathered  enormous  masses  of  rock,  logs  of  wood,  and 
even  trunks  of  trees,  which  they  fixed  in  such  a  way  that, 
at  a  moment's  notice,  they  could  precipitate  the  whole 
terrible  avalanche  upon  the  heads  of  the  enemy. 

Such  was  the  secrecy  with  which  the  peasants  man 
aged  the  whole  affair,  that  the  Scotch,  ignorant  even  of 
the  existence  of  a  foe,  marched  along  in  imaginary  secu 
rity  till  they  reached  the  middle  of  the  narrrow  pass, 
when  they  were  suddenly  overwhelmed  and  crushed  be 
neath  the  masses  of  rocks  and  loose  timbers  launched 
upon  them  by  the  Norwegians.  Rushing  from  their 
ambush,  the  infuriated  peasants  soon  slaughtered  the 
maimed  and  wounded,  leaving,  according  to  some  au 
thorities,  only  two  of  the  enemy  to  tell  the  tale.  Others, 
however,  say  that  as  many  as  sixty  escaped,  but  were 
afterward  caught  and  massacred.  Attached  to  this  fear 
ful  story  of  retribution,  Laing  mentions  a  romantic  inci 
dent,  which  is  still  currently  told  in  the  neighborhood. 
A  young  peasant  was  prevented  from  joining  in  the  at 
tack  by  his  sweetheart,  to  whom  he  was  to  be  married 
the  next  day.  She,  learning  that  the  wife  of  Colonel  Sin 
clair  was  among  the  party,  sent  her  lover  to  offer  his  as 
sistance  ;  but  the  Scotch  lady,  mistaking  his  purpose,  shot 
him  dead.  Such  is  the  tragic  history  that  casts  over  this 
wild  region  a  mingled  interest  of  horror  and  romance. 


352  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

The  road  from  Laurgaard  beyond  the  pass  of  the 
Kringelen  ascends  a  high  mountain.  On  the  right  is  a 
series  of  foaming  cataracts,  and  nothing  can  surpass  the 
rugged  grandeur  of  the  view  as  you  reach  the  highest 
eminence  before  descending  toward  Braendhagen.  Here 
the  country  is.  one  vast  wilderness  of  pine-clad  mount 
ains,  green  winding  valleys,  and  raging  torrents  of  water 
dashing  down  over  the  jagged  rocks  thousands  of  feet 
below.  It  was  nearly  night  when  I  reached  Dombaas, 
the  last  station  before  ascending  the  Dovre  Fjeld. 

A  telegraphic  station  at  Dombaas  gives  something  of 
a  civilized  aspect  to  this  stopping-place,  otherwise  rather 
a  primitive-looking  establishment.  The  people,  however, 
are  very  kind  and  hospitable,  and  somewhat  noted  for 
their  skill  in  carving  bone  and  wooden  knife-handles.  I 
should  have  mentioned  that,  wild  as  this  part  of  the 
country  is,  the  traveler  is  constantly  reminded  by  the 
telegraphic  poles  all  along  the  route  that  he  is  never 
quite  beyond  the  limits  of  civilization.  Such  is  the  force 
of  habit  that  I  was  strongly  tempted  to  send  a  message 
to  somebody  from  Dombaas  ;  but,  upon  turning  the  mat 
ter  over  in  my  mind,  could  think  of  nobody  within  the 
limits  of  Norway  who  felt  sufficient  interest  in  my  ex 
plorations  to  be  likely  to  derive  much  satisfaction  from 
the  announcement  that  I  had  reached  the  edge  of  the 
Dovre  Fjeld  in  safety:  The  name  of  a  waiter  who  was 
good  enough  to  black  my  boots  at  the  Victoria  Hotel 
occurred  to  me,  but  it  was  hardly  possible  lie  would  ap 
preciate  a  telegraphic  dispatch  from  one  who  had  no 
more  pressing  claims  to  his  attention.  I  thought  of  send 
ing  a  few  lines  of  remembrance  to  the  Wild  Girl  who 
had  come  so  near  breaking  my  neck.  This  notion,  how 
ever,  I  gave  over  upon  reflecting  that  she  might  attach 
undue  weight  to  my  expressions  of  friendship,  and  pos 
sibly  take  it  into  her  head  that  I  was  making  love  to  her 
— than  which  nothing  could  be  farther  from  my  inten 
tion.  I  had  a  social  chat  with  the  telegraph-man,  how 
ever — a  very  respectable  and  intelligent  person — who 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 


gave  me  the  latest  news ;  and  with  this,  and  a  good  sup 
per  and  bed,  I  was  obliged  to  rest  content. 


CHAPTER  XXXTI. 

JOHN     BULL     ABROAD. 

LEAVING  Dombaas  at  an  early  hour,  I  soon  began  to 
ascend  a  long  slope,  reaching,  by  a  gradual  elevation,  to 
the  Dovre  Fjeld.  The  vegetation  began  to  grow  more 
and  more  scanty  on  the  wayside,  consisting  mostly  of 
lichens  and  reindeer  moss.  I  passed  through  some  stunt 
ed  groves  of  pine,  wliieh,  however,  were  bleached  and 
almost  destitute  of  foliage.  The  ground  on  either  side 
of  the  road  was  soft,  black,  and  boggy,  abounding  in 
springs  and  scarcely  susceptible  of  cultivation.  At  this 
elevation  grain  is  rarely  planted,  though  I  was  told  po 
tatoes  and  other  esculents  are  not  difficult  to  raise.  On 
the  left  of  the  road,  approaching  the  summit,  lies  a  range 
of  snow-capped  mountains  between  the  Dovre  Fjeld  and 
Molde ;  on  the  right  a  series  of  rocky  and  barren  hills 
of  sweeping  outline,  presenting  an  exceedingly  desolate 
aspect.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  after  leaving  Dombaas, 
having  walked  most  of  the  way,  I  fairly  reached  the 
grand  plateau  of  the  Dovre  Fjeld.  The  scene  at  this 
point  of  the  journey  is  inexpressibly  desolate. 

Bare,  whitish-colored  hills  bound  the  horizon  on  the 
right;  in  front  is  a  dreary  waste,  through  which  the  rond 
winds  like  a  thread  till  lost  in  the  dim  haze  of  the  dis 
tance;  and  to  the  left  the  everlasting  snows  of  Snaehnt- 
ten.  A  few  wretched  cabins  are  scattered  at  remote  in 
tervals  over  the  desert  plains,  in  which  the  shepherds 
seek  shelter  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  which 
even  in  midsummer  is  often  piercingly  raw.  Herds  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  were  grazing  over  the  rocky 
wastes  of  the  Fjeld.  Reindeer  are  sometimes  seen  in 
this  vicinity,  but  not  often  within  sight  of  the  road.  The 
only  vegetation  produced  here  is  reindeer  moss,  and  a 


THE  LAXD  OF  THOR.  355 

coarse  sort  of  grass  growing  in  bunches  over  the  plain. 
I  met  several  shepherds  on  the  way  dressed  in  something 
like  a  characteristic  costume — frieze  jackets  with  brass 
buttons,  black  knee-breeches,  a  red  night-cap,  and  armed 
with  the  usual  staff  or  shepherd's  crook,  represented  in 
pictures,  and  much  discoursed  of  by  poets: 
"Methinks  it  were  a  happy  life 
To  be  no  better  than  a  homely  swain  ;" 

but  not  on  the  Dovre  Fjelds  of  Norway.  It  must  be 
rather  a  dull  business  in  that  region,  taking  into  consid 
eration  the  barren  plains,  the  bleak  winds,  and  desolate 
aspect  of  the  country.  No  sweet  hawthorn  bushes  are 
there,  beneath  which  these  rustic  philosophers  can  sit, 

"Looking  on  their  silly  sheep." 

Shepherd  life  must  be  a  very  dismal  reality  indeed.  And 
yet  there  is  no  accounting  for  tastes.  At  one  point  of 
the  road,  beyond  Folkstuen,  where  a  sluggish  lagoon 
mingles  its  waters  with  the  barren  slopes  of  the  Fjeld,  I 
saw  an  Englishman  standing  up  to  his  knees  in  a  dismal 
marsh  fishing  for  trout. 

The  weather  was  cold  enough  to  strike  a  chill  into 
one's  very  marrow ;  yet  this  indefatigable  sportsman 
had  come  more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  his  native 
country  to  enjoy  himself  in  this  way.  He  was  a  genu 
ine  specimen  of  an  English  snob — self-sufficient,  conceit 
ed,  and  unsociable ;  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the 
left,  and  terribly  determined  not  to  commit  himself  by 
making  acquaintance  with  casual  travelers  speaking  the 
English  tongue.  I  stopped  my  cariole  within  a  few  paces 
and  asked  him  "  what  luck  ?"  One  would  think  the 
sound  of  his  native  tongue  would  have  been  refreshing 
to  him  in  this  dreary  wilderness ;  but,  without  deigning 
to  raise  his  head,  he  merely  answered  in  a  gruff  tone, 
"  Don't  know,  sir — don't  know  !"  I  certainly  did  not  sus 
pect  him  of  knowing  much,  but  thought  that  question  at 
least  would  not  be  beyond  the  limits  of  his  intelligence. 
Finding  him  insensible  to  the  approaches  of  humanity, 
I  revenged  myself  for  his  rudeness  by  making  a  sketch 


356 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


of  his  person,  which  I  hope  will  be  recognized  by  his 
friends  in  England  should  he  meet  with  any  misfortune 
in  the  wilds  of  Norway.  They  will  at  least  know  where 
to  search  for  his  body,  and  be  enabled  to  recognize  it 
when  they  find  it.  This  man's  sense  of  enjoyment  re 


minded  me  of  the  anecdote  told  by  Longfellow  in  Hype 
rion,  of  an  Englishman  who  sat  in  a  tub  of  cold  water  ev 
ery  morning  while  he  ate  his  breakfast  and  read  the  news 
papers. 

I  met  with  many  such  in  the  course  of  my  tour.  Is 
it  not  a  little  marvelous  what  hardships  people  will  en 
counter  for  pleasure?  Here  was  a  man  of  mature  age, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  357 

in  the  enjoyment  perhaps  of  a  comfortable  income,  who 
had  left  his  country,  with  all  its  attractions,  for  a  dreary 
desert  in  which  he  was  utterly  isolated  from  the  world. 
He  was  not  traveling — not  reading,  not  surrounded  by 
a  few  congenial  friends  Avho  could  make  a  brief  exile 
pleasant,  but  utterly  alone ;  ignorant,  no  doubt,  of  the 
language  spoken  by  the  few  shepherds  in  the  neighbor 
hood  ;  up  to  his  knees  in  a  pool  of  cold  water ;  stubborn 
ly  striving  against  the  most  adverse  circumstances  of 
wind  and  weather  to  torture  out  of  the  water  a  few  mis 
erable  little  fish !  Of  what  material  can  such  a  man's 
brain  be  composed,  if  he  be  gifted  with  brain  at  all  ?  Is 
it  mud,  clay,  or  water;  or  is  it  all  a  bog?  Possibly  he 
was  a  lover  of  nature ;  but  if  you  examine  his  portrait 
you  will  perceive  that  there  is  nothing  in  his  personal 
appearance  to  warrant  that  suspicion.  Even  if  such  were 
the  case,  this  was  not  the  charming  region  described  by 
the  quaint  old  Walton,  where  the  scholar  can  turn  aside 
"  toward  the  high  honeysuckle  hedge,"  or  "  sit  and  sing 
while  the  shower  falls  upon  the  teeming  earth,  viewing 
the  silver  streams  glide  silently  toward  their  centre,  the 
tempestuous  sea,"  beguiled  by  the  harmless  lambs  till, 
with  a  soul  possessed  with  content,  he  feels  "  lifted  above 
the  earth."  Nor  was  the  solitary  angler  of  the  Dovre 
Fjeld  a  man  likely  to  be  lifted  from  the  earth  by  any 
thing  so  fragile  as  the  beauties  of  nature.  His  weight 
— sixteen  stone  at  least — would  be  much  more  likely  to 
sink  him  into  it. 

As  I  approached  the  neighborhood  of  Djerkin  on  the 
Dovre  Fjeld,  famous  as  a  central  station  for  hunting  ex 
peditions,  I  met  several  English  sportsmen  armed  with 
rifles,  double-barreled  guns,  pistols,  and  other  deadly 
weapons,  on  their  way  to  the  defiles  of  the  adjacent 
mountains  in  search  of  the  black  bears  which  are  said 
to  infest  that  region.  One  of  these  enthusiastic  gentle 
men  was  seated  in  a  cariole,  and  traveled  for  some  dis 
tance  in  front  of  me.  Taking  into  view  the  rotundity 
of  his  person,  which  overhung  the  little  vehicle  on  every 


358 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


side,  I  could  not  but  picture  to  myself  the  extraordinary 
spectacle  that  would  be  presented  to  any  observant  eye 
in  case  this  ponderous  individual  should  suddenly  come 
in  contact  with  one  of  those  ferocious  animals. 


Here  you  have  him,  just  as  he  sat  before  me — a  back 
view,  to  be  sure,  but  the  only  one  I  could  get  in  the  emer 
gency  of  the  moment.  It  will  be  easy  to  imagine,  from 
the  dexterous  grace  of  his  figure,  how  he  will  bound  over 
the  rocks,  climb  up  the  ruggtMl  points  of  the  precipices, 
hang  by  the  roots  and  brandies  of  trees,  dodge  the  at 
tacks  of  the  enemy,  crawl  through  the  brush,  and,  in  the 
event  of  an  unfavorable  turn  in  the  battle,  retreat  to  some 
position  ofscjci  rity. 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 


359 


No  man  can  be  blamed  for  running  when  he  is  sure  to 
be  worsted  in  an  encounter  of  this  kind.  Many  a  brave 
Californian  has  taken  to  his  heels  when  pursued  by  a 
grizzly,  and  I  have  scarcely  a  doubt  that  I  would  pursue 
the  same  course  myself  under  similar  circumstances. 
Only  it  must  look  a  little  ludicrous  to  see  a  fat  English 
man,  a  representative  of  the  British  Lion,  forced  to  adopt 
this  mortifying  alternative  rather  than  suffer  himself  to 
be  torn  into  beef-steaks.  It  may  be,  however,  that  in 
this  instance  our  Nimrod  has  suddenly  discovered  that 
it  is  about  dinner-time,  and  is  hurrying  back  to  camp  lest 
the  beef  should  be  overdone. 


UEAIt   CHASE. 


These  bear-hunting  Englishmen  take  care  to  have  as 
many  chances  on  their  own  side  as  possible.  Hence  they 
usually  go  into  the  mountains  well  provided  with  guides, 
ammunition,  provisions,  etc.,  and  prepare  the  way  by  first 
securing  the  bear  in  some  favored  locality.  This  is  done 
by  killing  a  calf  or  hog,  and  placing  the  carcass  in  the 
required  position.  A  hired  attendant  lies  in  wait  until 
he  discovers  the  bear,  when  he  comes  down  to  the  sta 
tion  or  camp,  and  notifies  the  hunter  that  it  is  time  to 


360 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


start  out.  Thus  the  risk  of  life  is  greatly  reduced,  and 
the  prospect  of  securing  some  game  proportionally  aug 
mented.  The  black  bears  of  Norway  are  not  very  dan 
gerous,  however,  and,  hunted  in  this  manner,  it  requires 
no  great  skill  to  kill  them.  They  are  generally  to  be 
found  in  the  higher  mountains  and  defiles,  a  few  miles 


PEASANT    WOMEN    AT    \\or.K. 


from  some  farming  settlement.  In  winter,  when  their 
customary  food  is  scarce,  they  often  commit  serious  dep 
redations  upon  the  stock  of  the  farmers.  Every  facility 
is  freely  afforded  by  the  peasants  for  their  destruction, 
and  every  bear  killed  is  considered  so  many  cattle  saved. 
It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  I  descended  a  rocky 
and  pine-covered  hill,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  station 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  361 

called  Djerkin,  celebrated  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  inte 
rior  of  Norway.  This  place  is  kept  by  an  old  Norwe 
gian  peasant  family  of  considerable  wealth,  and  is  a  fa 
vorite  resort  of  English  sportsmen  bound  on  fishing  and 
hunting  excursions  throughout  the  wilds  of  the  Dovre 
Fjeld.  The  main  buildings  and  outhouses  are  numerous 
and  substantial,  and  stand  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  which 
forms  the  highest  point  of  the  Fjeld  on  the  road  from 
Christiania  to  Trondhjem.  The  appearance  of  this  iso 
lated  group  of  buildings  on  the  broad  and  barren  face  of 
the  hill  had  much  in  it  to  remind  me  of  some  of  the  old 
missionary  establishments  in  California ;  and  the  resem 
blance  was  increased  by  the  scattered  herds  of  cattle 
browsing  upon  the  parched  and  barren  slopes  of  the 
Fjeld,  which  in  this  vicinity  are  as  much  like  the  old 
ranch  lands  of  San  Diego  County  as  one  region  of  coun 
try  wholly  different  in  climate  can  be  like  another.  A 
few  cultivated  patches  of  ground  near  the  station,  upon 
which  the  peasants  were  at  work  gathering  in  the  scanty 
harvest,  showed  that  even  in  this  rigorous  region  the  at 
tempts  at  agriculture  were  not  altogether  unsuccessful. 
As  usual,  the  principal  burden  of  labor  seemed  to  fall 
upon  the  women,  who  were  digging,  hoeing,  and  raking 
with  a  lusty  will  that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  men. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WOMEN   IN    NORWAY   AND    GERMANY. 

I  MUST  say  that  of  all  the  customs  prevailing  in  the 
different  parts  of  Europe,  not  excepting  the  most  civil 
ized  states  of  Germany,  this  one  of  making  the  women  do 
all  the  heavy  work  strikes  me  as  the  nearest  approxima 
tion  to  the  perfection  of  domestic  discipline.  The  Dig 
gers  of  California  and  the  Kaffres  of  Africa  understand 
this  thing  exactly,  and  no  man  of  any  spirit  belonging 
to  those  tribes  would  any  more  think  of  performing  the 
drudgery  which  he  imposes  upon  his  wife  and  daugh- 

Q 


362  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

ters  than  a  German  or  Norwegian.  What  is  the  use  of 
having  wives  and  children  if  they  don't  relieve  us  of  our 
heavy  work  ?  In  that  respect  we  Americans  are  very 
much  behind  the  times.  We  pay  such  absurd  devotion 
to  the  weakness  of  woman  that  they  rule  us  with  a  des 
potism  unknown  in  any  other  country.  Their  smiles  are 
threats,  and  their  tears  are  despotic  manifestoes,  against 
which  the  bravest  of  us  dare  not  rebel.  It  is  absolutely 
horrible  to  think  of  the  condition  of  servitude  in  which 
we  are  placed  by  the  extraordinary  powers  vested  in,  and 
so  relentlessly  exercised  by,  the  women  of  America.  I, 
for  one,  am  in  favor  of  a  revival  of  the  old  laws  of  Nu 
remberg,  by  which  female  tyranny  was  punished.  By  a 
decree  of  the  famous  Council  of  Eight,  any  woman  con 
victed  of  beating  her  husband  or  otherwise  maltreating 
him  was  forced  to  wear  a  dragon's  head  for  the  period 
of  three  days ;  and  if  she  did  not,  at  the  expiration  of 
that  date,  ask  his  pardon,  she  was  compelled  to  undergo 
a  regimen  of  bread  and  water  for  the  space  of  three 
weeks,  or  until  effectually  reduced  to  submission.  Some 
thing  must  be  done,  or  we  shall  be  compelled  sooner  or 
later  to  adopt  a  clause  in  the  Constitution  prohibiting 
from  admission  the  State  of  Matrimony.  What  would 
the  ladies  do  then?  I  think  that  would  bring  them  to 
their  senses. 

Not  only  in  the  matter  of  domestic  discipline,  but  of 
business  and  pleasure,  are  the  people  of  Europe  infinitely 
ahead  of  us.  In  France  many  of  the  railway  stations 
are  attended  by  female  clerks,  and  in  Germany  the  beer- 
saloons  are  ornamented  by  pretty  girls,  who  carry  around 
the  foaming  schoppens,  having  a  spare  smile  and  a  joke 
for  every  customer.  Of  opera-singers,  dancers,  and  fe 
male  fiddlers,  the  most  famous  are  produced  in  Europe. 
The  wheeling  girls  of  Hamburg,  who  roll  after  the  om 
nibuses  in  circus  fashion,  are  the  only  specimens  in  the 
line  of  popular  attractions  that  I  have  not  yet  seen  in  the 
streets  or  public  resorts  of  New  York. 

What  would  be  thought  of  half  a  dozen  of  these  street 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


363 


WHEELING   GIRLS. 


acrobats  rolling  down  Broadway  or  the  Fifth  Avenue  ? 
Doubtless  they  would  attract  considerable  attention,  and 
probably  turn  many  a  good  penny.  I  fancy  the  Bowery 
boys  would  enjoy  this  sort  of  thing.  A  pretty  girl  of 
sixteen  or  seventeen,  with  her  crinoline  securely  bundled 
up  between  her  ankles,  wheeling  merrily  along  after  an 
omnibus  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  would  be  an 
attractive  as  well  as  extraordinary  spectacle.  For  my 
part,  I  would  greatly  prefer  it  to  our  best  female  lectures 
on  phrenology  or  physiology.  I  think  a  girl  who  can 
roll  in  that  way  must  be  possessed  of  uncommon  genius. 
The  wheeling  boys  of  London  are  but  a  clumsy  spectacle 
compared  with  this.  No  man  of  sensibility  can  witness 


364  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

such  a  sight  without  regarding  it  as  the  very  poetry  of 
motion. 

But  this  digression  has  led  me  a  little  out  of  the  way. 
I  was  on  the  road  to  Djerkin.  A  sharp  pull  of  half  a 
mile  up  the  hill  brought  me  to  the  door  of  the  station, 
where  I  was  kindly  greeted  by  the  family.  Descending 
from  my  cariole  a  little  stiff  after  the  last  long  stage,  I 
entered  the  general  sitting-room,  where  there  was  a  good 
ly  assemblage  of  customers  smoking  and  drinking,  and 
otherwise  enjoying  themselves.  The  landlady,  however, 
would  not  permit  me  to  stop  in  such  rude  quarters,  but 
hurried  me  at  once  into  the  fine  room  of  the  establish 
ment.  While  she  was  preparing  a  venison  steak  and 
some  coffee,  I  took  a  survey  of  the  room,  which  was  cer 
tainly  ornamented  in  a  very  artistical  manner.  The  sofa 
was  covered  with  little  scraps  of  white  net-work;  the 
bureau  was  dotted  all  over  with  little  angels  made  of 
gauze,  highly-colored  pin-cushions,  and  fanciful  paper 
boxes  and  card-stands.  The  walls  were  decorated  with 
paintings  of  cows,  stags,  rocks,  waterfalls,  and  other  ani 
mals,  and  gems  of  Norwegian  scenery,  the  productions 
of  the  genius  of  the  family — the  oldest  son,  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  the  District,  now  absent  on  business  at 
Christiania.  They  were  very  tolerably  executed.  The 
old  lady  was  so  proud  of  them  that  she  took  care  to  call 
my  attention  to  their  merits  immediately  upon  entering 
the  room,  informing  me,  with  much  warmth  of  manner, 
that  her  son  was  a  highly  respectable  man,  of  wonderful 
talents,  who  had  held  the  honorable  position  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  the  past  ten  years,  and  that  there  was 
something  in  my  face  that  reminded  her  of  her  dear  boy. 
In  fact,  she  thought  our  features  bore  a  striking  resem 
blance — only  Ilansen  had  rather  a  more  melancholy  ex 
pression,  his  wife  having  unfortunately  died  about  three 
years  ago  (here  the  poor  old  lady  heaved  a  profound 
sigh).  But  I  could  judge  for  myself.  There  was  his 
portrait,  painted  by  a  German  artist  who  spent  some 
months  at  this  place  last  summer.  1  looked  at  the  por- 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 


3C5 


trait  with  some  curiosity.  It  was  that  of  a  man  about 
forty  years  of  age,  with  a  black  skull-cap  on  his  head,  a 
long  queue  behind,  and  a  pair  of  spectacles  on  his  nose 
— his  face  very  thin  and  of  a  cadaverous  expression ; 
just  such  a  man  as  you  would  expect  to  find  upon  a  jus 
tice's  bench  of  a  country  district  in  Norway.  Was  it 
possible  I  bore  any  resemblance  to  this  learned  man  ? 


JUSTICE  OF  THE  PEACE. 


The  very  idea  was  so  startling,  not  to  say  flattering,  that 
I  could  hardly  pre.serve  my  composure.  I  mumbled  over 
something  to  the  effect  that  it  was  a  good  face — for  scen 
ic  purposes ;  but  every  time  I  tried  to  acknowledge  the 
likeness  to  myself  the  words  stuck  in  my  throat.  Final 
ly,  I  was  forced  to  ask  the-  landlady  if  she  would  be  so 


366  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

kind  as  to  bring  me  a  glass  of  brandy-wine,  for  I  was 
afraid  she  would  discover  the  internal  convulsions  which 
threatened  every  moment  to  rend  my  ribs  asunder. 
While  she  was  looking  after  the  brandy-wine  I  made  a 
hasty  copy  of  the  portrait,  and  I  now  leave  it  to  the  im 
partial  reader  to  decide  upon  the  supposed  resemblance. 
It  may  be  like  me,  but  I  confess  the  fact  never  would 
have  impressed  itself  upon  my  mind  from  any  personal 
observation  of  my  own  countenance  taken  in  front  of  a 
looking-glass. 

There  was  something  so  genial  and  cozy  about  the  inn 
at  Djerkin  that  I  partially  resolved  to  stop  all  night.  At 
dinner-time  the  landlord  made  his  appearance  steaming 
hot  from  the  kitchen.  I  no  longer  hesitated  about  stay 
ing.  I  am  a  great  believer  in  the  physiognomy  of  inns 
as  well  as  of  landlords.  Traveling  through  a  wild  coun 
try  like  Norway,  where  there  is  little  beyond  the  scenery 
to  attract  attention,  the  unpretending  stations  by  the 
wayside  assume  a  degree  of  importance  equaled  only  by 
the  largest  cities  in  other  countries.  The  approach,  the 
aspect  of  the  place,  the  physiognomy  of  the  house,  be 
come  matters  of  the  deepest  interest  to  trhe  solitary  way 
farer,  who  clings  to  these  episodes  in  the  day's  journey 
as  the  connecting  links  that  bind  him  to  the  great  family 
of  man.  I  claim  to  be  able  to  tell  from  the  general  ex 
pression  of  an  inn,  commencing  at  the  chimney-top  and 
ending  at  the  steps  of  the  front  door,  exactly  what  sort 
of  cheer  is  to  be  had  within — whether  the  family  are 
happily  bound  together  in  bonds  of  affection;  how  often 
the  landlord  indulges  in  a  bout  of  hard  drinking;  and 
the  state  of  control  under  which  he  is  kept  by  the  female 
head  of  the  establishment;  nay,  lean  almost  guess,  from 
the  general  aspect  of  the  house,  the  exact  weight  and  di 
gestive  capacity  of  mine  host;  for  if  the  inn  promise  well 
for  the  creature  comforts,  so  will  the  inn-keeper.  And 
what  can  be  more  cheering  to  a  tired  wayfarer  than  to 
be  met  at  the  door  by  a  jolly  red-faced  old  fellow — 
"Ili^  fair  round  belly  with  fat  capon  lined" — 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 


307 


beef-steaks  in  the  expression  of  his  eye ;  his  bald  pate  the 
fac-simile  of  a  rump  of  mutton ;  plum-puddings  and  ap 
ple-dumplings  in  every  curve  of  his  chin;  his  body  the 


MODKI,    LANDLORD. 


living  embodiment  of  a  cask  of  beer  supported  by  two 
pipes  of  generous  wine ;  the  whole  man  overflowing  with 
rich  juices  and  essences,  gravies,  and  strong  drinks — a 


368  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOB. 

breathing  incarnation  of  all  the  good  things  of  life,  whom 
to  look  upon  is  to  feel  good-natured  and  happy  in  the 
present,  and  hopeful  for  the  future  ;  such  a  man,  in  short, 
as  mine  host  of  the  Golden  Crown,  whose  portrait  I  have 
endeavored  to  present. 

If  there  be  any  likeness  between  myself  and  the  son, 
it  certainly  does  not  extend  to  the  father.  He  carries 
in  his  hands  a  steaming  hot  plum-pudding;  he  is  a  model 
landlord,  and  delights  in  feeding  his  customers.  His 
voice  is  greasy  like  his  face.  When  he  laughs  it  is  from 
his  capacious  stomach  the  sounds  come.  His  best  jokes 
are  based  upon  his  digestive  organs.  He  gets  a  little 
boozy  toward  evening,  but  that  is  merely  a  hospitable 
habit  of  his  to  prove  that  his  liquors  are  good.  You  com 
mit  yourself  at  once  to  his  keeping  with  a  delightful  con 
sciousness  that  in  his  hands  you  are  safe.  He  is  not  a 
man  to  suffer  an  honest  customer  to  starve.  Nature,  in 
her  prodigality,  formed  him  upon  a  generous  pattern. 
Whatever  does  other  people  good  likewise  does  him 
good.  May  he  live  a  thousand  years — mine  host  of  the 
Golden  Crown  ! — and  may  his  shadow  never  be  less ! 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

DOWN    TIIE     DRIVSDAL. 

THE  next  morning  I  proceeded  on  my  way,  resolved, 
if  ever  I  came  this  route  again,  to  spend  a  week  at  Djer- 
kin.  A  withered  old  man  accompanied  me  on  the  back 
of  the  cariole.  After  half  an  hour's  hard  climbing  up  a 
very  steep  hill  we  reached  the  highest  point  of  the  Dovre 
Fjeld,  4594  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  From  this 
point  the  view  is  exceedingly  weird  and  desolate.  Ow 
ing  to  the  weather,  however,  which  was  dark  and  threat 
ening,  I  did  not  stop  long  to  enjoy  the  view  of  the  bar 
ren  wastes  that  lay  behind,  but  was  soon  dashing  at  a 
slapping  pace  down  into  the  valley  of  the  firivsdal — one 
of  the  most  rugged  and  picturesque  in  Norway. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


369 


My  journey  down  the  valley  of  the  Drivsdal  was  both 
pleasant  and  interesting.  A  beautiful  new  road  com 
mences  at  Kongsvold,  the  last  station  on  the  Dovre  Fjeld, 


I1K1VSPAI,   VAT.tKY. 


after  passing  Djerkin,  and  follows  the  winding  of  the  riv 
er  through  the  narrow  gorges  of  the  mountains  all  the 
Q2 


370  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

way  to  Ny  Orne.  On  each  side  towering  and  pine-cov 
ered  mountains  rear  their  rugged  crests,  sometimes  ap 
proaching  so  close  to  the  river  as  to  overhang  the  road, 
which  for  miles  on  a  stretch  is  hewn  from  the  solid  rock. 
The  innumerable  clefts  and  fissures  that  mark  the  rug 
ged  fronts  of  the  cliffs ;  the  overhanging  trees  and  shrub 
bery  ;  the  toppling  boulders  of  granite,  balanced  in  mid 
air  ;  the  rushing  torrents  that  dash  from  the  moss-cov 
ered  rocks ;  the  seething  and  foaming  waters  of  the  Driv, 
whirling  through  the  narrow  gorges  hundreds  of  feet 
below  the  road;  the  bright  blue  sky  overhead, and  the 
fitful  gleams  of  sunshine  darting  through  the  masses  of 
pine  and  circling  into  innumerable  rainbows  in  the  spray 
of  the  river,  all  combine  to  form  a  scene  of  incomparable 
beauty  and  grandeur  such  as  I  have  rarely  seen  equaled 
in  any  part  of  the  world,  and  only  surpassed  by  the  Sis- 
kiyon  Mountains  in  the  northern  part  of  California. 

About  midway  down  the  valley,  after  passing  the  set 
tlement  of  Rise,  I  stopped  to  examine  a  curious  passage 
of  the  river  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Drivstuklere, 
where  it  dashes  down  between  two  solid  walls  of  rocks, 
which  at  this  point  approach  so  as  to  form  a  passage  of 
not  more  than  fifteen  feet  in  width.  Securing  my  car- 
iolc  horse  t6  a  tree  by  the  side  of  the  road,  I  descended 
a  steep  bank  under  the  guidance  of  my  skydskaarl,  a 
bright  little  fellow  about  ten  years  of  age,  who  first  called 
my  attention  to  this  remarkable  phenomenon.  I  was 
soon  compelled  to  follow  his  example,  and  crawl  over  the 
rocks  like  a  caterpillar  to  avoid  falling  into  the  frightful 
abyss  below.  For  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  yards,  the 
river,  compressed  within  a  limit  of  fifteen  feet,  dashes 
with  fearful  velocity  through  its  rugged  and  tortuous 
boundaries,  filling  the  air  with  spray,  and  making  an 
angry  moan,  as  if  threatening  momentarily  to  tear  the 
rokcs  from  their  solid  beds,  and  sweep  them  into  the 
broad  and  sullen  pool  below. 

The  trembling  of  the  massive  boulder  upon  which  I 
lay  outstretched  peering  into  the  ragiug  abyss,  the  fierce 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 


371 


PASSAGE   ON   THE   DRIV. 


surging  of  the  waters,  the  whirling  clouds  of  spray,  and 
gorgeous  prismatic  colors  that  flashed  through  them, 
created  an  impression  that  the  whole  was  some  wild, 
mad  freak  of  the  elements,  gotten  up  to  furnish  the  trav 
eler  with  a  startling  idea  of  the  wonders  and  beauties 
of  Norwegian  scenery. 


372  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A   NORWEGIAN   HOKSE-JOCKEY. 

LATE  one  evening  I  arrived  at  a  lonely  little  station 
by  the  wayside,  not  far  beyond  the  valley  of  the  Drivs- 
dal.  I  was  col^l  and  hungry,  and  well  disposed  to  enjoy 
whatever  good  cheer  the  honest  people  who  kept  the  inn 
might  have  in  store  for  me.  The  house  and  outbuild 
ings  were  such  as  belong  to  an  ordinary  farming  estab 
lishment,  and  did  not  promise  much  in  the  way  of  enter 
tainment.  Upon  entering  the  rustic  doorway  I  was  kind 
ly  greeted  by  the  host — a  simple,  good-natured  looking 
man — who,  as  usual,  showed  me  into  the  best  room. 
Now  I  am  not  aware  of  any  thing  in  my  appearance  that 
entitles  me  to  this  distinction,  but  it  has  generally  been 
my  fate,  in  this  sort  of  travel,  to  be  set  apart  and  isola 
ted  from  the  common  herd  in  the  fancy  room  of  the  es 
tablishment,  which  I  have  always  found  to  be  corre 
spondingly  the  coldest  and  most  uncomfortable.  It  is  a 
great  annoyance  in  Norway  to  be  treated  as  a  gentle 
man.  The  commonest  lout  can  enjoy  the  cozy  glow  and 
social  gossip  of  the  kitchen  or  ordinary  sitting-room,  but 
the  traveler  whom  these  good  people  would  honor  must 
sit  shivering  and  alone  in  some  great  barn  of  a  room  be 
cause  it  contains  a  sofa,  a  bureau,  a  looking-glass,  a  few 
mantle-piece  ornaments,  and  an  occasional  picture  of  the 
king  or  some  member  of  the  royal  family.  I  have  walk 
ed  up  and  down  these  dismal  chambers  for  hours  at  a 
time,  staring  at  the  daubs  on  the  walls,  and  picking  up 
little  odds  and  ends  of  ornaments,  and  gazing  vacantly 
at  them,  till  I  felt  a  numbness  steal  all  over  me,  accom 
panied  by  a  vague  presentiment  that  I  was  imprisoned 
for  life.  The  progress  of  time  is  a  matter  of  no  import 
ance  in  Norway.  To  an  American,  accustomed  to  see 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  3*73 

every  thing  done  with  energy  and  promptness,  it  is  ab 
solutely  astounding — the  indifference  of  these  people  to 
the  waste  of  hours.  They  seem  to  be  forever  asleep,  or 
doing  something  that  bears  no  possible  reference  to  their 
ostensible  business.  If  you  are  hungry  and  want  some 
thing  to  eat  in  a  few  minutes,  the  probability  is  you  will 
be  left  alone  in  the  fine  room  for  several  hours,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  you  discover  that  the  innkeeper  is 
out  in  the  stable  feeding  his  horses,  his  wife  in  the  back 
yard  looking  after  the  chickens,  and  his  children  sitting 
at  a  table  in  the  kitchen  devouring  a  dish  of  porridge. 
Upon  expressing  your  astonishment  that  nothing  is 
ready,  the  good  man  of  the  house  says  "  Ja !  it  will  be 
ready  directly,  min  Herr !"  and  if  you  are  lucky  it  comes 
in  another  hour — a  cup  of  coffee  and  some  bread  per 
haps,  which  you  could  just  as  well  have  had  in  ten  min 
utes.  Patience  may  be  a  virtue  in  other  countries,  but 
it  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  Norway.  I  believe,  after 
the  few  weeks'  experience  I  had  on  the  road  to  Tron- 
dhjem,  I  could  without  difficulty  sit  upon  a  monument 
and  smile  at  grief. 

Perceiving  through  the  cracks  of  the  door  that  there 
was  a  good  fire  in  the  kitchen,  and  hearing  the  cheerful 
voices  of  the  man  and  his  wife,  varied  by  the  merry  whis 
tle  of  my  skydskaarl,  I  made  bold  to  go  in  and  ask  leave 
to  stand  by  the  fire.  The  good  people  seemed  a  little 
astonished  at  first  that  a  person  of  quality  like  myself 
should  prefer  the  kitchen  to  the  fine  room  with  the  sofa 
and  bureau,  the  mantle-piece-  ornaments  and  pictures  of 
the  royal  family ;  but,  by  dint  of  good-humored  gossip 
about  the  horses,  and  an  extravagant  compliment  thrown 
in  about  the  beauty  of  the  landlady's  children — for  which 
I  hope  to  be  pardoned — I  secured  a  comfortable  seat  by 
the  fire,  and  was  soon  quite  at  home.  The  great  open 
fireplace,  the  blazing  pine  logs,  the  well-smoked  hobs,  the 
simmering  pots  and  steaming  kettles,  had  something  in 
describably  cheerful  about  them ;  and  lighting  my  pipe, 
I  puffed  away  cozily  during  the  pauses  in  the  conversa- 


.174  THE  LAND  OF  Til  OR. 

tion,  having  a  delightful  consciousness  that  nature  had 
peculiarly  adapted  me  for  the  vulgar  enjoyments  of  life, 
and  that  every  thing  approaching  the  refinements  of  civ 
ilization  was  a  great  bore.  It  was  doubtless  this  taint 
of  the  savage  in  my  disposition  that  made  me  look  with 
such  horror  upon  neat  rooms  and  civilized  furniture,  and 
fall  back  with  such  zest  upon  the  primitive  comforts  of 
savage  life.  When  I  told  the  people  of  the  house  that 
I  was  all  the  way  from  California — that  I  had  come  ex 
pressly  to  see  their  country — there  was  no  end  to  the  in 
terest  and  excitement.  "Dear  me!"  they  cried,  "and 
you  have  traveled  a  long  way !  You  must  be  very  tired  ! 
And  you  must  be  very  rich  to  travel  so  far !  Ah  Gott — 
how  wonderful !"  "Did  you  come  all  the  way  in  a  cari- 
ole ?"  inquired  the  simple-minded  host.  "No;  I  came 
part  of  the  way  by  sea,  in  a  great  ship."  "  How  won 
derful !"  "And  what  sort  of  horses  had  they  in  Cali 
fornia?"  I  told  some  tough  stories  about  the  mustang 
horses,  in  which  the  landlord  was  profoundly  interested, 
for  I  soon  discovered  that  horses  were  his  great  hobby. 
Whatever  we  talked  of,  he  invariably  came  back  to  horse 
flesh.  His  head  was  overrunning  with  horses.  I  praised 
his  cariole  horses,  and  he  was  enchanted.  lie  gave  me 
the  pedigree  of  every  horse  in  his  stable,  scarcely  a  word 
of  which  I  understood,  and  then  wound  np  by  telling  mo 
he  was  considered  the  best  judge  of  horses  in  all  Nor 
way.  I  did  not  think  there  was  much  in  his  appearance 
indicative  of  the  shrewdliorse-jockey,  but  was  soon  con 
vinced  of  his  shrewdness,  for  he  informed  me  confiden 
tially  he  had  drawn  the  great  prize  at  the  last  annual 
horse-fair  at  Christiania,  and  if  I  didn't  believe  it  he  would 
show  it  to  me!  I  tried  to  make  him  understand  that  I 
had  no  doubt  at  all  what  he  said  was  strictly  true;  but, 
not  satisfied  at  this  expression  of  faith  in  his  word,  he 
went  to  a  big  wooden  chest  in  the  corner  and  took  out 
a  bag  of  money,  which  he  placed  upon  the  middle  of  the 
table  with  a  proud  smile  of  triumph.  "That,"  said  he, 
"is  the  prize!  A  hundred  and  fifty  silver  dollars — sil- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


375 


ver,  mind  you — all  SILVER  !"  But  perhaps  I  didn't  be 
lieve  it  was  a  prize?  Well,  be  would  convince  me  of 
tbat.  So  he  left  the  bag  of  money  on  the  table  and  went 


J    .) 


into  a  back  room  to  get  the  certificate  of  the  society,  in 
which  it  was  all  duly  written  out,  with  his  name  in  large 
letters,  the  paper  being  neatly  framed  in  a  carved  frame, 


370  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

the  work  of  his  own  bands.  There  it  was;  I  could  read 
for  myself!  I  tried  to  read  it  to  oblige  him,  and  as  I 
blundered  over  the  words  he  took  it  into  his  head  that  I 
was  still  incredulous.  "  Nai !  nai !"  said  he,  "  you  shall 
see  the  money!  You  shall  count  it  for  yourself!"  In 
vain  I  strove  to  convince  him  that  I  was  entirely  satis 
fied  on  the  subject — that  he  must  not  go  to  so  much 
trouble  on  my  account.  "Nai!  uai !"  cried  the  enthu 
siastic  dealer  in  horse-flesh,  "  it  is  no  trouble.  You  shall 
see  the  money  WITH  YOUR  OWN  EYES!"  And  forthwith 
he  untied  the  string  of  the  bag,  and  poured  out  the  shin 
ing  dollars  in  a  pile  on  the  middle  of  the  table.  His  good 
wife  stood  by,  professing  to  smile,  but  I  suspected,  from 
the  watchful  expression  of  her  eye,  that  she  did  not  feel 
quite  at  ease.  The  skydskaarl  leaned  over  with  a  gener 
al  expression  of  the  most  profound  astonishment  and  ad 
miration.  "  See !"  cried  the  old  man  ;  "  this  is  the  prize 
— every  dollar  of  it.  But  you  must  0count  it — I'll  help 
you — so !"  As  there  was  no  getting  over  the  task  im 
posed  upon  me  without  hurting  his  feelings,  I  had  to  sit 
down  and  help  to  count  the  money — no  very  pleasant 
job  for  a  hungry  man.  After  summing  up  our  respect 
ive  piles,  there  appeared  to  be  only  a  hundred  and  for 
ty-nine  dollars — just  a  dollar  short.  "Lieb  Gott!"  cried 
the  man,  "there  must  be  a  mistake!  Let  us  count  it 
again !"  I  felt  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  counting 
it  very  carefully  this  time,  for  the  landlady's  eye  was  on 
me  with  a  very  searching  expression.  "  Een,  to,  tre,  five, 
fern,  sex,"  and  so  on  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  when  we 
summed  up  our  counts  again.  Tins  time  it  was  only  a 
hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars — just  two  dollars  short! 
The  old  man  scratched  his  head  and  looked  bewildered. 
The  landlady  moved  about  nervously,  and  stared  very 
hard  at  me.  It  was  getting  to  be  rathjer  an  embarrassing 
affair.  I  blamed  myself  for  being  so  foolishly  drawn  into 
it.  Wishing  to  know  if  there  really  was  a  mistake,  I 
begged  my  host  to  let  me  count  it  alone,  which  I  did  by 
making  fifteen  piles  often  dollars  each,  carefully  count- 


ITS 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  377 

ing  every  pile.  It  was  all  right ;  the  whole  amount  was 
there,  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  "  All  right !"  said  I, 
much  relieved  ;  "  don't  you  see,  every  pile  is  exactly  the 
same  height !"  "  Ja !  Ja !"  said  the  man  ;  "  but  I  don't 
understand  it.  Here,  wife,  you  and  I  must  count  it !" 
So  the  wife  sat  down,  and  they  both  began  counting  the 
money,  varying  every  time  they  compared  notes  from 
two  to  ten  dollars.  Once  they  had  it  a  hundred  and  six 
ty  dollars.  "  The  devil  is  in  the  money !"  exclaimed  the 
horse-dealer ;  "  I'm  certain  I  counted  right."  "  And  so 
am  I !"  said  the  woman  ;  "  I  can  not  be  mistaken.  It  is 
you  who  have  made  the  mistake.  You  always  were  a 
stupid  old  fool  about  money !"  This  she  said  with  some 
degree  of  asperity,  for  she  was  evidently  displeased  at 
the  whole  proceeding.  "A  fool,  eh?  A  fool!"  mutter 
ed  the  old  man ;  "  you  do  well  to  call  me  a  fool  before 
strangers!"  "Ja,  that's  the  way!  I  always  told  you 
so !"  screamed  the  woman,  in  rising  tones  of  anger ; 
"  you'll  lose  all  your  money  yet !"  "  Lose  it !"  retorted 
the  man ;  "  don't  you  see  I  have  made  ten  dollars  by 
counting  it  to-night !  There !  count  it  yourself,  and  hold 
your  peace,  woman !"  Here  the  wife,  suppressing  her 
wrath,  made  a  careful  and  deliberate  count,  which  result 
ed  in  the  exact  sum  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars !  I 
was  much  relieved ;  but  by  this  time  the  old  man,  unable 
to  bear  the  torrent  of  reproaches  heaped  upon  him  by 
his  good  wife  for  his  stupidity,  swore  she  must  have  made 
a  mistake.  He  was  sure  he  had  counted  a  hundred  and 
sixty  ;  therefore  he  would  count  it  again,  all  alone,  which 
he  proceeded  to  do,  very  slowly  and  cautiously.  This 
time  the  result  was  a  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars. 
"  The  devil's  in  it !"  cried  the  astonished  dealer;  "  there's 
some  magic  about  it !  I  don't  understand  it.  I  must 
count  it  again  !"  The  woman,  however,  being  satisfied 
that  it  was  all  right,  I  now  thought  it  best  to  return  to 
my  seat  by  the  fire,  where  she  soon  began  to  busy  her 
self  preparing  the  supper,  turning  round  now  and  then 
of  course  to  let  off  a  broadside  at  her  old  man.  She  took 


378  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOB. 

occasion  to  inform  me,  during  the  progress  of  her  culina 
ry  labors,  that  he  was  a  very  good  sort  of  man,  but  was 
somewhat  addicted  to  brandy-wine,  of  which  he  had  par 
taken  a  little  too  freely  on  the  present  occasion.  I  must 
excuse  him.  She  would  send  him  to  bed  presently.  And 
now,  if  I  pleased,  supper  was  ready. 

I  could  not  help  thinking,  as  I  lay  in  bed  that  night, 
how  lucky  it  was  for  these  simple-minded  people  that 
they  lived  in  the  interior  of  Norway.  Even  in  Califor 
nia,  where  public  and  private  integrity  is  the  prevailing 
trait  of  the  people,  it  would  hardly  be  considered  safe  to 
pull  out  a  bag  of  money  at  a  wayside  inn  and  show  it  to 
every  passing  stranger.  I  have  known  men  there  in  high 
public  positions  whom  I  would  scarcely  like  to  tempt  in 
that  way,  especially  if  there  was  money  enough  in  the 
bag  to  make  robbery  respectable.  -  ^ 

All  along  the  route  during  the  next  day  the  scenery 
was  a  continued  feast  of  enjoyment.  In  looking  back 
over  it  now,  however,  after  the  lapse  of  of  several  months, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  recall  any  thing  beyond  its  gener 
al  features — pine-covered  mountains,  green  valleys,  dark 
rocky  glens,  foaming  torrents  of  water,  and  groups  of 
farm-houses  by  the  wayside.  At  Bjerkager  I  reached 
the  first  of  the  "  slow-stations  ;"  that  is  to  say,  the  estab 
lished  post-houses,  where  a  margin  of  three  hours  is  al 
lowed  for  a  change  of  horses.  I  had  supposed  that  in  a 
country,  and  on  a  public  route,  where  during  the  sum 
mer  there  must  be  considerable  travel,  it  would  hardly 
be  possible  that  so  long  a  delay  could  take  place ;  but  in 
this  I  wras  mistaken.  The  slow-stations  are  emphatical 
ly  slow ;  the  keepers  are  slow,  the  horses  are  slow,  the 
whole  concern  is  slow.  From  Bjerkager  to  Garlid,  and 
from  Garlid  to  IIov,  including  all  delays,  a  distance  of 
three  hours  and  a  half  ordinary  time,  it  took  me  all  day. 
No  entreaties,  no  offers  of  extra  compensation,  no  ex 
pressions  of  impatience  produced  the  slightest  effect. 
The  people  at  these  places  were  not  to  be  hurried.  Kind 
and  good-natured  as  they  were  in  appearance  and  ex- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  379 

pression,  I  found  them  the  most  bull-headed  and  intract 
able  race  of  beings  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  depressing  lethargy 
that  hung  over  a  wretched  little  place  called  Soknaes, 
which  I  made  out  to  reach  the  next  morning.  A  dead 
silence  reigned  over  the  miserable  huddle  of  buildings 
by  the  roadside.  The  houses  looked  green  and  mildew 
ed.  A  few  forlorn  chickens  in  the  stable-yard,  and  a  half- 
starved  dog  crouching  under  the  door-steps,  too  poor  to 
bark  and  too  lazy  to  move,  were  the  only  signs  of  life 
that  greeted  me  as  I  approached.  I  knocked  at  the  door, 
but  no  answer  was  made  to  the  summons.  Not  a  living 
soul  was  to  be  seen  around  the  place.  I  attempted  to 
whistle  and  shout.  Still  the  terrible  silence  remained 
unbroken  save  by  the  dismal  echoes  of  my  own  melan 
choly  music.  At  length  I  went  to  a  rickety  shed  under 
which  some  carts  were  drawn  up  for  shelter  from  the 
weather.  In  one  of  the  carts,  half-covered  in  a  bundle 
of  straw,  was  a  bundle  of  clothes.  It  moved  as  I  drew 
near ;  it  thrust  a  boot  out  over  the  tail-board ;  it  shook 
itself;  it  emitted  a  curious  sound  between  a  grunt  and  a 
yawn;  it  raised  itself  up. and  shook  off  a  portion  of  the 
straw;  it  thrust  a  red  night-cap  out  of  the  mass  of  shape 
less  rubbish;  the  night-cap  contained  a  head  and  a  mat 
ted  shock  of  hair ;  there  was  a  withered,  old-fashioned 
little  face  on  the  front  part  of  the  head,  underneath  the 
shock  of  hair,  which  opened  its  mouth ^and  eyes,  and 
gazed  at  me  vacantly ;  it  was  an  old  man  or  a  b/>y,  I  could 
not  tell  which  till  it  spoke,  when  I  discovered  that  it  was 
something  between  the  two,  and  was  the  skydskaarl  or 
hostler  of  this  remarkable  establishment.  He  rubbed  his 
eyes  and  stared  again.  "Hello!"  said  L  He  grunted 
out  something.  "  Heste  og  Cariole !"  said  I.  "  Ja  !  Ja !" 
grunted  the  hostler,  and  then  he  began  to  get  out  of  the 
cart.  I  suppose  he  creaked,  though  I  do  not  pretend 
that  the  sounds  were  audible.  First  one  leg  came  out; 
slowly  it  was  followed  by  the  other.  When  they  both 
got  to  the  ground,  he  pushed  his  body  gradually  over  the 


380  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

tail-board,  and  in  about  five  minutes  was  standing  before 
me. 

"A  horse  and  cariole,"  said  I;  "let  me  have  them 
quick !" 

"Ja!  Ja!" 

"Straxr  [directly!]  said  I. 

"Ja!  Ja!" 

"  How  long  will  it  be  ?" 

"  Ach !" — here  he  yawned. 

"  An  hour  ?" 

"Ja!  Ja!" 

"  Two  hours  ?" 

"Ja!  Ja!" 

"  Three  hours  ?" 

"Ja!  Ja!" 

"  Sacramento !  I  can't  stand  that.  I  must  have  one 
STRAX — directly — forstoede  ?" 

"  Ja !  Ja !"  and  the  fellow  rubbed  his  eyes  and  yawned 
again. 

"Look  here!  my  friend,"  said  I,  "if  you'll  get  me  a 
horse  and  cariole  in  half  an  hour,  I'll  give  you  two  marks 
extra — forstoe  ?" 

"  Ja !  Ja !  twa  mark"  (still  yawning). 

"  Half  an  hour,  mind  you !" 

"  Tre  time — three  hours !"  grunted  the  incorrigible 
dunderhead. 

"  Then  good-by — I  must  travel  on  foot !"  and,  with 
rage  and  indignation  depicted  in  every  feature,  I  flung 
my  knapsack  over  my  shoulder  and  made  a  feint  to  start. 

"  Adieu !  farvel !"  said  the  sleepy  lout,  good-naturedly 
holding  out  his  hand  to  give  me  a  parting  shake.  "  Far- 
vcl,  min  Herr !  May  your  journey  be  pleasant !  God 
take  care  of  you  !" 

The  perfect  sincerity  of  the  fellow  completely  dissipa 
ted  my  rage,  and,  giving  him  a  friendly  shake,  I  proceed 
ed  on  my  way.  As  I  turned  the  corner  of  the  main 
building  and  struck  into  the  road,  I  cast  a  look  back,  He 
was  still  standing  by  the  cart,  yawning  and  rubbing  his 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK.  381 

eyes  as  before.  That  man  would  make  money  in  Cali 
fornia — if  money  could  be  made  by  a  bet  on  laziness. 
He  is  lazier  than  the  old  Dutch  skipp.er  who  was  too  lazy 
to  go  below,  and  gave  orders  to  the  man  at  the  helm  to 
follow  the  sun  so  as  to  keep  him  in  the  shad'e  of  the 
main-sail,  by  reason  of  which  he  sailed  round  the  hori 
zon  till  his  tobacco  gave  out,  and  he  had  to  return  home 
for  a  fresh  supply.  I  call  that  a  strong  case  of  laziness, 
but  scarcely  stronger  than  the  traveler  meets  with  every 
day  in  Norway. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

OUT    OF    MONEY. 

I  NOW  began  to  enjoy  the  real  pleasures  of  Norwegian 
travel.  No  longer  compelled  to  endure  the  vexatious 
delays  to  which  I  had  lately  been  subject,  I  bowled  along 
the  road,  with  my  knapsack  on  my  back,  at  the  rate  of 
four  miles  an  hour,  whistling  merrily  from  sheer  exuber 
ance  of  health  and  lack  of  thought.  The  weather  was 
charming.  A  bright  sun  shed  its  warm  rays  over  hill 
and  dale ;  the  air  was  fresh  and  invigorating ;  the  rich 
est  tints  adorned  the  whole  face  of  the  country,  which 
from  Soknaes  to  Trondhjem  gradually  increases  in  fertil 
ity  and  breadth  of  outline,  till  it  becomes  almost  unri 
valed  in  the  profusion  of  its  pastoral  beauties.  Nothing 
can  surpass  the  gorgeous  splendor  of  the  autumnal  sun 
sets  in  this  part  of  Norway.  At  an  earlier  period  of  the 
year  there  is  perpetual  daylight  for  several  weeks,  and 
for  three  days  the  sun  does  not  descend  below  the  hori 
zon.  The  light,  however,  is  too  strong  during  that  pe 
riod  to  produce  the  rich  and  glowing  tints  which  cover 
the  sky  and  mountain-tops  at  a  later  season  of  the  year. 
I  was  fortunate  in  being  just  in  time  to  enjoy  the  full 
measure  of  its  beauties,  and  surely  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  such  an  experience  is  of  itself  worth  a  trip  to 
Norway.  I  shall  not  attempt  a  description  of  Norwe- 


382 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


TKA.VELING   ON    FOOT. 


gian  skios,  however,  after  the  glowing  picture  of  the 
North  Cape  at  midnight  drawn  by  the  pen  of  my  friend 
Bayard  Taylor,  the  most  faithful  and  enthusiastic  of  all 
the  travelers  who  have  given  their  experience  of  this  in 
teresting  region. 

Keeping  along  the  banks  of  the  Gula,  the  road  winds 
around  the  sides  of  the  hills,  sometimes  crossing  open  val 
leys,  and  occasionally  penetrating  the  shady  recesses  of 
the  pine  forests,  till  it  diverges  from  the  river  at  Mcel- 
hus.  flbon  after  leaving  this  station  the  views  from  the 
higher  points  over  which  the  road  passes  are  of  great 
beauty  and  extent,  embracing  a  glimpse,  from  time  to 
time,  of  the  g-cjit  Trondhjem  Kjord. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  383 

Night  overtook  me  at  the  pretty  little  station  of  Esp. 
Next  morning  I  was  up  bright  and  early,  and,  after  a  cup 
of  coffee  and  some  rolls,  .shouldered  my  knapsack  and 
pushed  on  to  Trondhjem. 

Finding  my  purse  growing  lighter  every  day,  I  was 
compelled  at  this  point  to  cut  short  my  intended  journey 
to  the  North  Cape,  and  take  the  first  steamer  down  the 
coast  for  Christiansund  and  Hamburg. 

Arrived  once  more  at  the  family  head-quarters  in 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  I  spent  a  few  months  writing  up 
the  loose  material  I  had  thus  gathered,  and  making  foot- 
tours  through  the  Odenwald,  the  Spessart,  and  the 
Schwartzwald.  But  I  was  not  satisfied  with  what  I  had 
seen  of  the  North.  There  was  still  a  wild  region,  far  be 
yond  any  explorations  I  had  yet  made,  which  constantly 
loomed  up  in  my  imagination — the  chaotic  land  of  frost 
and  fire,  where  dwelt  in  ancient  times  the  mighty  Thor, 
the  mystic  deity  of  the  Scandinavians. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

ICELANDIC    TRAVEL. 

NOT  many  years  have  passed  since  it  was  considered 
something  of  an  achievement  to  visit  Iceland.  The  trav 
eler  who  had  the  hardihood  to  penetrate  the  chilly  fogs 
of  the  North,  and  journey  by  the  compass  through  a  re 
gion  of  everlasting  snows  and  desolating  fires,  could  well 
afford  to  stay  at  home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
satisfied  with  the  reputation  generally  accorded  him  by 
his  fellow-men.  It  was  something  to  have  plunged  into 
rivers  of  unknown  depth,  and  traversed  treacherous  bogs 
and  desert  fjelds  of  lava — something  to  be  able  to  speak 
knowingly  of  the  learned  Sagas,  and  verify  the  wonders 
of  the  Burned  Njal. 

An  isolated  spot  of  earth,  bordering  on  the  Arctic  Cir 
cle,  and  cut  off  by  icebergs  and  frozen  seas  from  all  inter 
course  with  the  civilized  world  during  half  llio  year,  once 


384  THE  LAND  OF  Til  OR. 

the  seat  of  an  enlightened  republic,  and  still  inhabited 
by  the  descendants  of  men  who  had  worshiped  Odin  and 
Thor,  must  surely  have  presented  rare  attractions  to  the 
enterprising  traveler  before  it  became  a  beaten  track  for 
modern  tourists.  A  simple  narrative  of  facts  was  then 
sufficient  to  enlist  attention.  Even  the  unlearned  adven 
turer  could  obtain  a  reputation  by  an  unvarnished  reci 
tal  of  what  he  saw  and  heard.  He  could  describe  the 
Logberg  upon  which  the  republican  Parliament  held  its 
sittings,  and  attest  from  personal  observation  that  this 
was  the  exact  spot  where  judgments  were  pronounced 
by  the  Tiling.  He  could  speak  familiarly  of  heathen 
gods  and  vikings  after  a  brief  intercourse  with  the  inhab 
itants,  who  are  still  tinctured  with  the  spirit  of  their  ear 
ly  civilization.  He  could  tell  of  frightful  volcanoes,  that 
fill  the  air  with  clouds  of  ashes,  and  desolate  the  earth 
with  burning  floods  of  lava,  and  of  scalding  hot  water 
shot  up  out  of  subterranean  boilers,  and  gaping  fissures 
that  emit  sulphurous  vapors,  and  strange  sounds  heard 
beneath  the  earth's  surface,  and  all  the  marvelous  expe 
riences  of  Icelandic  travel,  including  ghosts  and  hobgob 
lins  that  ramble  over  the  icy  wastes  by  night,  and  hide 
themselves  in  gloomy  caverns  by  day — these  he  could 
dwell  upon  in  earnest  and  homely  language  with  the 
pleasing  certainty  of  an  appreciative  audience.  But  times 
have  sadly  changed  within  the  past  few  years.  A  trip 
to  Iceland  nowadays  is  little  more  than  a  pleasant  sum 
mer  excursion,  brought  within  the  capacity  of  every  tyro 
in  travel  through  the  leveling  agency  of  steam.  When 
a  Parisian  lady  of  rank  visits  Spitzbergen,  and  makes  the 
overland  journey  from  the  North  Cape  to  the  Gulf  of 
Bothnia,  of  what  avail  is  it  for  any  gentleman  of  elegant 
leisure  to  leave  his  comfortable  fireside?  We  tourists 
who  are  ambitious  to  see  the  world  in  an  easy  way  need 
but  sit  in  our  cushioned  chair,  cozily  smoking  our  cigar, 
while  some  enterprising  lady  puts  a  girdle  round  about 
the  earth ;  for  we  may  depend  upon  it  she  will  reappear 
ere  leviathan  can  swim  a  league,  and  present  us  with  a 


386  TUP:  LAND  OF  THOR. 

bouquet  of  wonderful  experiences,  neatly  pressed  between 
the  pages  of  an  entertaining  volume.  The  icebergs  of 
the  Arctic,  the  bananas  of  the  tropics,  the  camels  of  the 
East,  the  buffaloes  of  the  West,  and  the  cannibals  of  the 
South,  are  equally  at  our  service.  We  can  hold  the 
mountains,  rivers,  seas,  and  human  races  between  our 
finger  and  thumb,  and  thus,  as  we  gently  dally  with  care, 
we  may  see  the  wonders  of  the  world  as  in  a  pleasant 
dream.  Thus  may  we  enjoy  the  perils  and  hardships  of 
travel  at  a  very  small  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort. 

It  was  somewhat  in  this  style  that  I  reasoned  when 
the  idea  occurred  to  me  of  making  a  trip  to  Iceland. 
From  all  accounts  it  was  a  very  uncomfortable  country, 
deficient  in  roads,  destitute  of  hotels,  and  subject  to  vari 
ous  eccentricities  of  climate.  Neither  fame  nor  money 
was  to  be  gained  by  such  a  trip — unless,  indeed,  I  suc 
ceeded  in  catching  the  great  auk,  for  which,  it  is  said,  the 
directors  of  the  British  Museum  have  offered  a  reward 
of  a  hundred  pounds.  This  was  a  chance,  to  be  sure.  I 
might  possibly  be  able  to  get  hold  of  the  auk,  and  there 
by  secure  money  enough  to  pay  expenses,  and  make  cer 
tain  a  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame.  It  would  be  some 
thing  to  rank  with  the  great  men  who  had  devoted  their 
lives  to  the  pursuit  of  the  dodo  and  the  roc.  But  there 
was  a  -deplorable  lack  of  information  about  the  haunts 
and  habits  of  the  auk.  I  was  not  even  satisfied  of  its 
existence,  by  the  fact  that  two  Englishmen  visited  Ice 
land  a  few  years  ago  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  spec 
imen  of  this  wonderful  bird,  and,  after  six  weeks  of  un 
availing  search,  wrote  a  book  to  prove  that  there  was 
still  reason  to  hope  for  success. 

Upon  the  whole,  I  thought  it  would  not  do  to  depend 
upon  the  auk.  There  was  but  one  opening  left — to  visit 
Iceland,  sketch-book  in  hand,  and  faithfully  do  what  oth 
ers  had  left  undone — make  accurate  sketches  of  the 
mountains,  rivers,  lava-fjelds,  geysers,  people,  and  cos 
tumes.  In  nothing  is  Iceland  so  deficient  as  in  pictorial 
representation.  It  has  been  very  minutely  surveyed  by 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR.  387 

the  Danes,  and  Olsen  has  left  nothing  to  wish  for -in  the 
way  of  topographical  delineation,  but  artists  do  not  seem 
to  have  found  it  an  attractive  field  for  the  exercise*  of 
their  talent.  At  least  I  could  obtain  no  good  pictures 
of  Iceland  in  Copenhagen.  The  few  indifferent  sketches 
published  there,  and  in  the  journals  of  late  English  and 
German  tourists,  afford  no  adequate  idea  of  the  country. 
I  have  seen  nothing  of  the  kind  any  where  that  im 
pressed  my  mind  with  the  ^slightest  notion  of  that  land 
of  fire,  or  the  spirit  and  genius  of  Icelandic  life.  It  would 
therefore  be  some  gain  to  the  cause  of  knowledge  if  I 
could  present  to  five  hundred  thousand  of  my  fellow-cit 
izens,  who  do  their  traveling  through  these  illuminated 
pages,  a  reasonably  fair  delineation  of  the  country  and  the 
people,  with  such  simple  record  of  my  own  experiences 
as  would  render  the  sketches  generally  intelligible. 

So  one  fine  morning  in  May  I  shouldered  my  knapsack, 
and  bade  a  temporary  adieu  to  my  friends  in  .Frankfort. 
By  night  I  was  in  Hamburg.  The  next  day  was  agree 
ably  spent  in  rambling  about  the  gardens  across  the  Al- 
ster  Basin,  and  at  5  P.M.  I  left  Altona  for  Kiel,  a  jour 
ney  of  three  hours  by  rail  across 'a  flat  and  not  very  in 
teresting  tract  of  country  within  the  limits  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein.  From  Kiel  a  steamer  leaves  for  Korsor,  on  the 
island  of  Zealand,  the  terminus  of  the  Copenhagen  Rail 
way.  This  is  the  most  direct  route  between  Hamburg 
and  Copenhagen,  though  the  trip  may  be  very  pleasantly 
varied  by  taking  a  steamer  to  Taars,  and  passing  by  dili 
gence  through  the  islands^ of  Lallahd,  Falster,  and  Moen. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

HANS    CHRISTIAN    ANDERSEN. 

A  FEW  days  after  my  arrival  in  Copenhagen  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  Professor  Ander 
sen,  of  the  Scandinavian  Museum,  a  native  Icelander,  who 
very  kindly  showed  me  the  chief  objects  of  curiosity  ob- 


388  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

tained  from  the  Danish  possessions  in  the  North,  consist 
ing  mostly  offish  and  geological  specimens.  The  Minis 
ter  of  the  Judiciary  obligingly  gave  me  a  letter  to  the 
gove'rnor  and  principal  amtmen  of  Iceland,  and  many  oth 
er  gentlemen  of  influence  manifested  the  most  friendly 
interest  in  my  proposed  undertaking.  I  was  especially 
indebted  to  Captain  Sodring,  late  owner  of  the  Fox,  of 
Arctic  celebrity,  for  much  valuable  information  respect 
ing  the  Northern  seas,  as  well  as  for  his  cordial  hospital 
ity  and  indefatigable  efforts  to  make  my  sojourn  in  Co 
penhagen  both  agreeable  and  profitable.  Indeed,  I  was 
delighted  with  the  place  and  the  people.  The  Danes  are 
exceedingly  genial  in  their  manners,  distinguished  alike 
for  their  simplicity  and  intelligence.  There  is  no  trouble 
to  which  they  will  not  put  themselves  to  oblige  a  stran 
ger.  In  my  rambles  through  the  public  libraries  and 
museums  I  was  always  accompanied  by  some  professor 
attached  to  the  institution,  who  took  the  greatest  pains 
to  explain  every  thing,  and  impress  me  with  a  favprable 
idea  of  the  value  of  the  collection.  This  was  not  a  mere 
formal  matter  of  duty ;  many  of  them  spent  hours  and 
even  days  in  the  performance  of  their  friendly  labors, 
omitting  nothing  that  might  contribute  to  my  enjoyment 
as  a  stranger.  The  visitor  who  can  not  spend  his  time 
agreeably  in  such  society,  surrounded  by  such  institu 
tions  as  Thorwaldsen's  Museum  and  the  National  Col 
lection  of  Scandinavian  Antiquities,  must  be  difficult  to 
please  indeed.  The  Tivoli  or  the  Dyrhave,  an  evening 
at  Fredericksberg,  or  a  trip  tV  Hamlet's  Grave"  at  El- 
sineur,  would  surely  fill  the  measure  of  his  contentment. 
Whether  in  the  way  of  beautiful  gardens,  public  amuse 
ments,  charming  excursions,  or  agreeable  and  intelligent 
society,  I  know  of  no  European  capital  that  can  surpass 
Copenhagen.  Our  excellent  minister,  Mr.  Wood,  with 
whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  an  evening  at  El- 
sineur,  speaks  in  the  most  complimentary  terms  of  the 
Danes  and  their  customs,  and  expresses  some  surprise, 
considering  the  general  increase  of  European  travel  from 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  389 

our  country,  that  so  few  American  tourists  visit  Den 
mark. 

I  could  not  do  myself  the  injustice  to  leave  Copenha 
gen  without  forming  the  personal  acquaintance  of  a  man 
to  whom  a  debt  of  gratitude  is  due  by  the  young,  and  the 
old  in  all  countries — the  ramblers  in  fairy-land,  the  lov 
ers  of  romance,  and  the  friends  of  humanity — all  who  can 
feel  the  divine  influence  of  genius,  and  learn,  through  the 
teachings  of  a  kindly  heart,  that  the  inhabitants  of  earth 
are 

"Kindred  by  one  holy  tie" — 

the  quaint,  pathetic,  genial  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 
Not  wishing  to  impose  any  obligation  of  courtesy  on  him 
by  a  letter  of  introduction  or  the  obliging  services  of  my 
Danish  friends,  I  Called  at  his  house  unattended,  and 
merely  sent  in  my  name  and  address".  Unfortunately  he 
was  out  taking  his  morning  walk,  and  would  not  be  back 
till  the  afternoon.  By  calling  at  three  o'clock,  the  serv 
ant  said,  I  would  be  very  likely  to  find  him  at  home.  I 
then  added  to  my  card  the  simple  fact  that  I  was  an 
American  traveler  on  my  way  to  Iceland  for  the  purpose 
of  making  some  sketches  of  the  country,  and  would  take 
the  liberty  of  calling  at  the  appointed  hour.  It  may  be 
a  matter  of  interest  to  an  American  reader  to  have  some 
idea  of  the  peculiar  neighborhood  and  style  of  house  in 
which  a  great  Danish  author  has  chosen  to  take  up  his 
abode.  The  city  of  Copenhagen,  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  is  intersected  by  canals  which,  during  the  summer 
months,  are  crowded  with  small  trading  vessels  from 
Sweden  and  Jutland,  and  fishing-smacks  from  the  neigh 
boring  islands  and  coast*  of  Norway.  The  wharves  bor 
dering  on  these  canals  present  an  exceedingly  animated 
appearance.  Peasants,  sailors,  traders,  and  fishermen,  in 
every  variety  of  costume,  are  gathered  in  groups,  enjoy 
ing  a  social  gossip,  or  interchanging  their  various  prod 
ucts  and^vares,  and  strawberries  from  Amak  and  fish 
from  the  Skager-Rack  mingle  their  odors.  In  the  second 
story  of  a  dingy  and  dilapidated  toouse,  fronting  one  of 


390  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOI$. 

these  unsavory  canals,  a  confused  pile  of  dirty,  shambling 
old  tenements  in  the  rear,  and  a  curious  medley  of  fish 
and  fishermen,  sloops  and  schooners,  mud-scows  and  skiffs 
in  front,  lives  the  world-renowned  author,  Hans  Christian 
Andersen.  I  say  he  lives  there,  but,  properly  speaking, 
he  only^lodges.  It  seems  to  be  a  peculiarity  of  his  na 
ture  to  move  about  from  time  to  time  into  all  the  queer 
and  uninviting  places  possible  to  be  discovered  within 
the  limits  of  Copenhagen— not  where  •'.. : 

"The  mantling  vine 
'Lays  forth  her  grape  and  gently  creeps 
Luxuriant," 

but  where  the  roughest,  noisiest,  busiest,  and  fishiest  of 
an  amphibious,  population  is  to  be  found.  Here  it  is,  ap 
parently  amid  the  most  incongruous  elements,  that  he 
draws  from  all  around  him  the  most  delicate  traits  of 
human  nature,  and  matures  for  the  great  outer  world  the 
most  exquisite  creations. of  his  fancy.  It  is  purely  a  labor 
of  love  in  which  he  spends  his  life.  The  products  of  his 
pen  have  furnished  him  with  ample  means  to  live  in  ele 
gant  style,  surrounded  by  all  the  allurements  of  rank  and 
fashion,  but  he  prefers  the  obscurity  of  a  plain  lodging 
amid  the  haunts  of  those  classes  whose  lives  and  pursuits 
he  so  well  portrays.  Here  he  cordially  receives  all  who 
call  upon  him,  and  they  are  not  few.  Pilgrims  of  every 
condition  in  life  and  from  all  nations  do  homage  to  his 
genius,  yet,  valuable  as  his  time  is,  he  finds  enough  to 
spare  for  the  kindly  reception  of  his  visitors.  His  only 
household  companions  appear  to  be  two  old  peasant 
women,  whom  he  employs  as  domestics ;  weather-beaten 
and  decrepit  old  creatures,  with  faces  and  forms  very 
much  like  a  pair  of  antiquated  nut-crackers.  He  occu 
pies  only  twro  or  three  rooms  plainly  furnished,  and  ap 
parently  lives  in  the  simplest  and  most  abstemious  style. 
When  I  called  according  to  directions,  one  of  the  an 
cient  nut-crackers  merely  pointed  to  the  doof^and  said 
she  thought  Herr  Andersen  was  .in,  but  didn't  know.  I 
could  knock  there  an/!  try ;  so  I  knocked.  Presently  I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  391 

heard  a  rapid  step,  and  the  door  was  thrown  open.  Be 
fore  me  stood  the  tall,  thin,  shambling,  raw-boned  figure 
of  a  rrian  a  little  beyond  the  prime  of  life,  but  not  yet  old, 
with  a  pair  of  dancing  gray  eyes  and  a  hatchet-face,  all 
alive  with  twists,  and  wrinkles,  and  muscles ;  a  long,  lean 
face,  upon  which  stood  out  prominently  a  great  nose,  di 
verted  by  a  freak  of  nature  a  little  to  one  side,  and  flank 
ed  by  a  tremendous  pair  of  cheek-bones,  with  great  hol 
lows  underneath.  Innumerable  ridges  and  furrows  swept 
semicircularly  downward  around  the  corners  of  a  great 
mouth — a  broad,  deep,  rugged  fissure  across  the  face,  that 
might  have  been  mistaken  for  the  dreadful  child-trap  of 
an  ogre  but  for  the  sunny  beams  of  benevolence  that 
lurked  around  the  lips,  and  the  genial  humanity  that 
glimmered  from  every  nook  and  turn.  Neither  mus 
tache  nor  beard  obscured  the  strong  individuality  of  this 
remarkable  face,  wrhich  for  the  most  part  was  of  a  dull 
granite  color,  a  little  mixed  with  limestone  and  spotted 
with  patches  of  porphyry.  A  dented  gutta-percha  fore 
head,  very  prominent  about  the  brows,  and  somewhat 
resembling  in  its  general  topography  a  raised  map  of 
Switzerland,  sloped  upward  and  backward  to  the  top  of 
the  head ;  not  a  very  large  head,  but  wonderfully  bump 
ed  and  battered  by  the  operations  of  the  brain,  and  par 
tially  covered  by  a  mop  of  dark  wTavy  hair,  a  little  thin 
in  front  and  somewhat  grizzled  behind ;  a  long,  bony 
pair  of  arms,  with  long  hands  on  them  ;  a  long,  lank  body, 
with  a  long  black  coat  on  it ;  a  long,  loose  pair  of  legs, 
with  long  boots  on  the  feet,  all  in  motion  at  the  same 
time — all  shining,  and  wriggling,  and  working  with  an 
indescribable  vitality ;  a  voice  bubbling  up  from  the  vast 
depths  below  with  cheery,  spasmodic,  and  unintelligible 
words  of  welcome — this  was  the  wonderful  man  that 
stood  before  me,  the  great  Danish  improvisator,  the  lov 
er  of  little  children,  the  gentle  Caliban  who  dwells  among 
fairies  and  holds  sweet  converse  with  fishes,  and  frogs, 
and  beetles !  I  would  have  picked  him  out  from  among 
a  thousand  men  at  the  first  glance  as  a  candidate  for 


392  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

Congress,  or  the  proprietor  of  a  tavern,  if  I  had  met  him 
any  where  in  the  United  States.  But  the  resemblance 
was  only  momentary.  In  the  quaint  awkwardness  of 
his  gestures  and  the  simplicity  of  his  speech  there  was  a 
certain  refinement  not  usually  found  among  men  of  that 
class.  Something  in  the  spontaneous  and  almost  child 
like  cordiality  of  his  greeting ;  the  unworldly  impulsive 
ness  of  his  nature,  as  he  grasped  both  my  hands  in  his, 
patted  me  affectionately  on  the  shoulder,  and  bade  me 
welcome,  convinced  me  in  a  moment  that  this  was  no 
other,  and  could  be  no  other,  than  Hans  Christian  Ander 
sen. 

"  Come  in !  come  in !"  he  said,  in  a  gush  of  broken 
English;  "come  in  and  sit  down.  You  are  very  wel 
come.  Thank  you — thank  you  very  much?  I  am^ery 
glad  tp  see  you.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  meet  a  traveler  all 
the  way  from  California — quite  a  surprise.  Sit  down ! 
Thank  you!" 

And  then  followed  a  variety  of  friendly  compliments 
and  remarks  about  the  Americans.  He  liked  them  ;  he 
was  sorry  they  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  engaged  in 
a  civil  war,  but  hoped  it  would  soon  be  over.  Did  I 
speak  French  ?  he  asked,  after  a  pause.  Not  very  well. 
Or  German  ?  Still  worse,  was  my  answer.  "  What  a 
pity!"  he  exclaimed;  "it  must  trouble  you  to  under 
stand  my  English,  I  speak  it  so  badly.  It  is  only  within 
a  few  years  that  I  have  learned  to  speak  it  at  all."  Of 
course  I  complimented  him  upon  his  English,  which  was 
really  better  than  I  had  been  led  to  expect.  "  Can  you 
understand  it?"  he  asked,  looking  earnestly  in  my  face. 
"  Certainly,"  I  answered,  "  almost  every  word."  "  Oh, 
thank  you — thank  you.  You  are  very  good,"  he  cried, 
grasping  me  by  the  hand.  "  I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you  for  understanding  me."  I  naturally  thanked  him 
for.  being  obliged  to  me,  and  we  shook  hands  cordially, 
and  mutually  thanked  one  another  over  again  for  being 
so  amiable.  The  conversation,  if  such  it  could  be  called, 
flew  from  subject  to  subject  with  a  rapidity  that  almost 


THE  LAND  OF  fHOR.  393' 

I 

took  my  breath  away.  The  great  improvisator  dashed 
recklessly  into  every  thing  that  he  thought  would  be  in 
teresting  to  an  American  traveler,  but  with  the  difficulty 
of  his  utterance  *in  English,  and  the  absence  of  any  knowl 
edge  on  his  part  q|  my  name  or  history,  it  was  evident 
he  was  a  little  embarrassed  in  what  way  to  oblige  me 
most ;  and  the  trouble  on  my  side  was,  that  I  was  too 
busy  listening  to  find  time  for  talking. 

"Dear!  dear!  And  you  are  going  to  Iceland!"  he 
continued.  "  A  long  way  from  California !  I  would  like 
to  visit  America,  but  it  is  very  dangejous  to  travel  by 
sea.  A  vessel  was  burned  up  not  long  since,  and  many 
of  my  friends  were  lost.  It  was  a  dreadful  affair." 

From  this  he  diverged  to  a  trip  he  then  had  in  con 
templation  through  Switzerland  and  Spain.  He  was  sit 
ting  for  his  statuette,  which  he  desired  to  leave  as  a  me 
mento  to  his  friends  prior  to  his  departure.  A  young 
Danish  sculptor  was  making  it.  Would  I  like  to  see  it  ? 
and  forthwith  I  was  introduced  to  the  young  Danish 
sculptor.  The  likeness  was  very  good,  and  my  com 
ments  upon  it  elicited  many  additional  thanks  and  sev 
eral  squeezes  of  the  hand — it  was  so  kind  of  me  to  be 
pleased  with  it !.  "  He  is  a  young  student,"  said  Ander 
sen,  approvingly ;  "  a  very  good  young  man.  I  want  to 
encourage  him.  He  will  be  a  great  artist  some  day  or 
other." 

Talking  of  likenesses  reminded  me  of  a  photograph 
which  I  had  purchased  a  few  days  before,  and  to  which 
I  now  asked  the  addition  of  an  autograph. 

"  Oh,  you  have  a  libel  on  me  here!"  cried  the  poet, 
laughing  joyously — "  a  very  bad  likeness.  Wait !  I  have 
several  much  better ;  here  they  are — "  And  he  rushed 
into  the  next  room,  tumbled  over  a  lot  of  papers,  and 
ransacked  a  number  of  drawers  till  he  -found  the  desired 
package — "  here's  a  dozen  of  them  ;  take  your  choice ; 
help  yourself — as  many  as  you  please !"  While  looking 
over  the  collection,  I  said  the  likeness  of  one  who  had 
done  so  much  to  promote  the  happiness  of  some  little 
R2 


394 


friends  I  had  at  home  would  be  valued  beyond  measure; 
that  I  knew  at  least  half  a  dozen  youngsters  who  were 
as  well  acquainted  with  the  "  Little  Match  Girl,"  and  the 
"  Ugly  Duck,"  and  the  "  Poor  Idiot  Boy,"  as  he  was  him 
self,  and  his  name  was  as  familiar  in  California  as  it  was 
in  Denmark.  At  this  he  grasped  both  my  hands,  and 
locking  straight  in  my  face  with'  a  kind  of  ecstatic  ex 
pression,  said,  "  Oh,  is  it  possible?  Do  they  really  read 
my  books  in  California  ?  so  far  away !  Oh  !  I  thank  you 
very  much.  Some  of  my  stories,  I  am  aware,  have  been 
published  in  New  York,  but  I  did  not  think  they  had 
found  their  way  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  Dear  me !  Thank 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  395 

you!  thank  you!     Have  you  seen  my  last — the — what 
do  you  call  it  in  English  ? — a  little  animal — " 
"  Mouse,"  I  suggested. 

"  No,  not  a  mouse ;  a  little  animal  with  wings." 
«  Oh,  a  bat !" 

"  Nay,  nay,  a  little  animal  with  wings  and  many  legs. 
Dear  me !  I  forget  the  name  in  English,  but  you  certain 
ly  know  it  in  America — a  very  small  animal!" 

In  vain  I  tried  to  make  a  selection  from  all  the  little 
animals  of  my  acquaintance  with  wings  and  many  legs. 
The  case  was  getting  both  embarrassing  and  vexatious. 
At  length  a  light  broke  upon  me. 

"  A  musquito !"  I  exclaimed,  triumphantly. 
"Nay,  nay!"  cried  the  bothered  poet;  "a  little  ani 
mal  with  a  hard  skin  on  its  back.     Dear  me,  I  can't  re 
member  the  name !" 

".Oh,  I  have  it  now,"  said  I,  really  desirous  of  reliev 
ing  his  mind — "  a  flea !" 

At  this  the  great  improvisator  scratched  his  head, 
looked  at  the  ceiling  and  then  at  the 
floor,  after  which  he  took  several  rap 
id  strides  up  and  down  the  room,  and 
struck  himself  repeatedly  on  the  fore 
head.  Suddenly  grasping  up  a  pen, 
he  exclaimed,  somewhat  energetical 
ly,  "  Here !  I'll  draw  it  for  you  ;"  and 
forthwith  he  drew  on  a  scrap  of  pa 
per  a  diagram,  of  which  the  accom 
panying  engraving  is  a  fac-simile. 

"  A  tumble-bug !"  I  shouted,  astonished  at  my  former 
stupidity. 

The  poet  looked  puzzled  and  distressed.  Evidently  I 
had  not  yet  succeeded.  What  could  it  be  ? 

"A  beetle!"  I  next  ventured  to  suggest,  rather  disap 
pointed  at  the  result  of  my  previous  guess. 

"  A  beetle !  A  beetle ! — that's  it ;  now  I  remember 
—a  beetle!"  and  the  delighted  author  of  "The  Beetle" 
patted  me  approvingly  on  the  back,  and  chuckled  glee- 


396  THE  LAND  OF  THOB. 

fully  at  his  own  adroit  method  of  explanation.  "I'll 
give  you  '  The  Beetle,' "  he  said ;  "  you  shall  have  the 
only  copy  in  iny  possession.  But  you  don't  read  Danish ! 
What  are  we  to  do?  There  is  a  partial  translation  in 
French — a  mere  notice." 

"  No  matter,"  I  answered.  "  A  specimen  of  the  Dan 
ish  language  will  be  very  acceptable,  and  the  book  will 
be  a  pleasant  souvenir  of  my  visit." 

He  then  darted  into  the  next  room,  tumbled  over  a 
dozen  piles  of  books,  then  out  again,  ransacked  the  desks, 
and  drawers,  and  heaps  of  old  papers  and  rubBish,  talk 
ing  all  the  time  in  his  joyous,  cheery  way  about  his  books 
and  his  travels  in  Jutland,  and  his  visit  to  Charles  Dick 
ens,  and  his  intended  journey  through  Spain,  and  his  de 
light  at  meeting  a  traveler  all  the  way  from  California, 
and  whatever  else  came  into  his  head— all  in  such  mixed- 
up  broken  English  that  the  meaning  must  have  been  ut 
terly  lost  but  for  the  wonderful  expressiveness  of  his  face 
and  the  striking  oddity  of  his  motions.  It  came  to  me 
mesmerically.  He  seemed  like  one  who  glowed  all  over 
with  bright  and  happy  thoughts,  which  permeated  all 
around  him  with  a  new  intelligence.  His  presence  shed 
a  light  upon  others  like  the  rays  that  beamed  from  the 
eyes  of  "Little  Sunshine."  The  book  was  found  at  last, 
and  when  he  had  written  his  name  in  it,  with  a  friendly 
inscription,  and  pressed  both  my  hands  on  the  gift,  and 
patted  me  once  more  on  the  shoulder,  and  promised  to 
call  at  Frankfort  on  his  return  from  Switzerland  to  see 
his  little  friends  who  knew  all  about  the  "Ugly  Duck" 
and  the  "  Little  Match  Girl,"  I  took  my  leave,  more  de 
lighted,  if  possible,  with  the  author  than  I  had  ever  be 
fore  been  with  his  books.  Such  a  man,  the  brightest, 
happiest,  simplest,  most  genial  of  human  beings,  is  Hans 
Christian  Andersen. 

The  steamer  -Arcturus  was  advertised  to  sail  for  Reyk 
javik  on  the  4th  of  June,  so  it  behooved  me  to  be  laying 
in  some  sort  of  an  outfit  for  the  voyage  during  the  few 
days  that  intervened.  A  knapsack,  containing  a  change 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  397 

of  linen  and  my  sketching  materials,  was  all  I  possessed. 
This  would  have  been  sufficient  but  for  the  probability 
of  rain  and  cold  weather.  I  wanted  a  sailor's  monkey- 
jacket  and  an  overall.  My  friend  Captain  Sodring  would 
not  hear  of  my  buying  any  thing  in  that  way.  He  had 
enough  on  hand  from  his  old  whaling  voyages,  he  said, 
to  fit  out  a  dozen  men  of  my  pattern.  Just  come  up  to 
the  house  and  take  a  look  at  them,  and  if  there  wasn't 
too  much  oil  on  them,  I  was  welcome  to  the  whole  lot ; 
but  the  oil,  he  thought,  wojuld  be  an  advantage — it  would 
keep  out  the  water.  In  vain  I  protested — it  was  no  use 
— the  captain  was  an  old  whaler,  and  so  was  I,  and  when 
two  old  whalers  met,  it  was  a  pity  if  they  couldn't  act 
like  shipmates  on  the  voyage  of  life.  There  was  no  re 
sisting  this  appeal,  so  I  agreed  to  accept  the  old  clothes. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  captain's  house  he  disappeared 
in  the  garret,  but  presently  returned  bearing  a  terrific 
pile  of  rubbish  on  his  shoulders,  and  accompanied  by  a 
stout  servant-girl  also  heavily  laden  with  marine  curiosi 
ties.  There  were  sou'westers,  and  tarpaulins,  and  skull-*- 
caps ;  frieze  jackets,  and  overalls,  and  hickory  shirts ;  tar 
paulin  coats,  and  heavy  sea-boots,  and  duck  blouses  with 
old  bunches  of  oakum  sticking  out  of  the  pockets;  there 
were  coils  of  rope-yarn  well  tarred,  and  jack-knives  in 
leather  cases,  still  black  with  whale-gurry;  and  a  few 
telescopes  and  log-glasses.  "  Take  'em  all,"  said  the  cap 
tain.  "  They  smell  a  little  fishy,  but  no  matter.  It's  all 
the  better  for  a  voyage  to  Iceland.  You'll  be  used  to 
the  smell  before  you  get  to  Reykjavik ;  and  it's  whole 
some — very  wholesome  !  Nothing  makes  a  man  so  fat." 
I  made  a  small  selection — a  rough  jacket  and  a  few  oth 
er  essential  articles.  "  Nonsense,  man  !"  roared  the  cap 
tain,  "  take  'em  all !  You'll  find  them  useful ;  and  if  you 
don't,  you  can  heave  them  overboard  or  give  them  to  the 
sailors."  And  thus  was  I  fitted  out  for  the  voyage. 


398  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

VOYAGE    TO    SCOTLAND. 

THE  Arcturus  is  a  small  screw  steamer  owned  by 
Messrs.  Koch  and  Henderson,  and  now  some  six  years 
on  the  route  between  Copenhagen  and  Reykjavik.  The 
Danish  government  pays  them  an  annual  sum  for  carry 
ing  the  mails,  and  they  control  a  considerable  trade  in 
fish  and  wool.  This  vessel  makes  six  trips  every  year, 
touching  at  a  port  in  Scotland  both  on  the  outer  and  re 
turn  voyage.  At  first  she  made  Leith  her  stopping- 
place  ;  but,  owing  to  superior  facilities  for  her  business 
at  Grangemouth,  she  now  stops  at  that  port.  The  cost 
of  passage  is  extremely  moderate — only  45  Danish  dol- 
jlars,  about  $28  American,  living  on  board  75  cents  a  day, 
and  a  small  fee  to  the  steward,  making  for  the  voyage 
out  or  back,. which  usually  occupies  about  eleven  days, 
inclusive  of  stoppages,  something  less  than  $40.  I  men 
tion  this  for  the  benefit  of  my  friends  at  home,  who  may 
think  proper  to  make  a  very  interesting  trip  at  a  very 
small  expense ;  though,  as  will  hereafter  appear,  the  most 
considerable  part  of  the  expenditure  occurs  in  Iceland. 
Captain  Andersen  (they  are  all  Andersens,  or  Jonasens, 
or  Hansens,  or  Petersens  in  Denmark),  a  very  active  and 
obliging  little  Dane,  commands  the  Arcturus.  He  speaks 
English  fluently,  and  is  an  experienced  seaman ;  and  if 
the  tourist  is  not  unusually  fastidious  about  accommoda 
tions,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  making  an  agreeable 
voyage.  I  found  every  thing  on  board  excellent;  the 
fare  abundant  and  wholesome,  and  the  sleeping-quarters 
not  more  like  coffins  than  they  usually  are  on  board  small 
steamers.  A  few  inches  cut  off  the  passengers'  legs  or 
added  to  the  length  of  the  berths,  and  a  few  extra  hand 
spikes  in  the  lee  scuppers  to  steady  the  vessel,  would  be 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  399 

an  improvement ;  but  then  one  can't  have  every  thing  to 
suit  him.  Sofne  grumbling  took  place,  to  be  sure,  after 
our  departure  from  Scotland.  A  young  Scotchman  want 
ed  a' berth  for  a  big  dog  in  the  same  cabin  with  the  rest 
of  his  friends,  which  the  captain  would  not  permit ;  an 
Englishman  was  disgusted  with  the  "  beastly  fare ;"  and 
an  old  Danish  merchant  would  persist  in  shaving  himself 
at  the  public  table  every  day — all  of  which  caused  an 
under-current  »f  dissatisfaction  during  the  early  part  of 
the  voyage.  Sea-sickness,  however,  put  an  end  to  it  be 
fore  long,  and  things  went  on  all  right  after  that.  • 

But  I  must  not  anticipate  my  narrative.  The  scene 
upon  leaving  the  wharf  at  Copenhagen  was  amusing  and 
characteristic.  For  some  hours  before  our  departure  the 
decks  were  crowded  with  the  friends  of  the  passengers. 
Every  person  had  to  kiss  and  hug  every  other  person, 
and  shake  hands,  and  laugh  and  cry  a  little,  and  then  hug 
and  kiss  again,  without  regard  to  age  anil  not  much  dis 
tinction  of  sex.  Some  natural  tears,  of  course,  must  al 
ways  be  shed  on  occasions  of  this  kind.  It  was  rather 
a  melancholy  reflection,  as  I  stood  aloof  looking  on  at  all 
these  demonstrations  of  affection,  that  there  was  nobody 
present  to  grieve  over  my  departing — not  even  a  lap- 
dog  to  bestow  upon  me  a  parting  kiss.  Waving  of  hand 
kerchiefs,  messages  to  friends  in  Iceland,  and  parting 
benedictions,  took  place  long  before  we  left  the  wharf. 
At  length  the  last  bells  were  rung,  the  lingering  loved 
ones  were  handed  ashore,  and  the  inexorable  voice  of 
the  captain  was  heard  ordering  the  sailors  to  cast  loose 
the  ropes.  We  were  fairly  off  for  Iceland  ! 

In  a  few  hours  we  passed,  near  Elsineur,  the  fine  old 
Castle  of  Kronberg,  built  in  the  time  of  Tycho  Brahe, 
once  the  prison  of  the  unfortunate  Caroline  Matilda,  queen 
of  Christian  VII. ,  and  in  the  great  vaults  of  which  it  is 
said  the  Danish  Roland,  Holger  Dansk,  still  lives,  his  long 
white  beard  grown  fast  to  a  stone  table.  We  were  soon 
out  of  the  Sound,  plowing  our  way  toward  the  famous 
Skager-Rack.  The  weather  had  been  showery  and  threat- 


400  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ening  for  some  time.  It  now  began  to  rain  and  blow  in 
good  earnest. 

We  had  on  board  only  thirteen  passengers,  chiefly 
Danes  and  Icelanders.  Among  them  was  a  newly-ap 
pointed  aintman  for  the  district  of  Reykjaness,  with  a 
very  accomplished  young  wife.  He  was  going  to  spend 
the  honey-moon  amid  the  glaciers  and  lava-fjelds  of  Ice 
land.  It  seemed  a  dreary  prospect  for  so  young  and 
tender  a  bride,  but  she  was  cheerful  and  happy,  except 
when  the  inevitable  hour  of  sea-sickness  came.  Love,  I 
supppse,  can  make  the  wilderness  blossom  as  the  rose, 
and  shed  a  warmth  over  ice-covered  mountains  and  a 
pleasant  verdure'over  deserts  of  lava.  A  very  agreeable 
and  intelligent  young  man,  Mr.  Jonasen,  son  of  the  gov 
ernor,  was  also  on  board.  I  saw  but  little  of  him  during 
the  passage — only  his  head  over  the  side  of  his  berth ; 
but  I  heard  from  him  frequently  after  the  weather  be 
came  rough.  If  there  was  any  inside  left  in  that  young 
man  by  the  time  we  arrived  at  Reykjavik,  it  must  have 
been  badly  strained.  As  a  son  of  lona  he  completely 
reversed  the  scriptural  order  of  things ;  for,  instead  of 
being  swallowed  by  a  great  fish,  and  remaining  in  the 
belly  thereof  three  days  and  nights,  he  swallowed  nu 
merous  sprats  and  sardines  himself,  yet  would  never  al 
low  them  internal  accommodations  for  the  space  of  three 
minutes.  My  room-mate  was  a  young  Icelandic  student, 
who  had  been  to  the  college  at  Copenhagen,  and  was 
now  returning  to  his  native  land  to  die.  There  was 
something  very  sad  in  his  case.  He  had  left  home  a  few 
years  before  with  the  brightest  prospects  of  success. 
Ambitious  and  talented,  he  had  devoted  himself  with  un 
wearied  assiduity  to  his  studies,  but  the  activity  of  his 
mind  was  too  much  for  a  naturally  feeble  constitution. 
Consumption  set  its  seal  upon  him.  Given  up  by  the 
physicians  in  Copenhagen,  he  was  returning  to  breathe 
liis  last  in  the  arms  of  a  loving  mother. 

On  the  second  morning  after  leaving  the  Sound  we 
passed  close  along  the  Downs  of  Jutland,  n  barren  shore, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  401 

singularly  diversified  by  great  mounds  of  sand.  The 
wind  sweeping  in  from  the  ocean  casts  up  the  loose  sands 
that  lie  upon  this  low  peninsula,  and  drifts  them  against 
some  bush  or  other  obstacle  sufficiently  firm  to  form  a 
nucleus.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years,  by  constant  accu 
mulations,  this  becomes  a  vast  mound,  sometimes  over  a 
hundred  feet  high.  Nearly  the  whole  of  Northern  Jut 
land  is  diversified  with  sand-plains,  heaths,  and  ever- 
changing  mounds,  among  which  wandering  bands  of  gip 
sies  still  roam.  The  shores  along  the  Skagen  are  sur 
rounded  by  dangerous  reefs  of  quicksand,  stretching  for 
many  miles  out  into  the  ocean.  Navigation  at  this  point 
is  very  difficult,  especially  during  the  winter,  when  ter 
rific  gales  prevail  from  the  northwest.  The  numerous 
stakes,  buoys,  and  other  water-marks  by  which  the  chan 
nel  is  designated,  the  frequency  of  light-houses  and  sig 
nal  telegraphs,  and  the  wrecks  that  lie  strewn  along  the 
beach,  over  which  the  surging  foam  breaks  like  a  perpet 
ual  dirge,  afford  striking  indication  of  the  dangers  to 
which  mariners  are  subject  in  this  wild  region.  Hans 
Christian  Andersen,  in  one  of  his  most  delightful  works, 
has  thrown  a  romantic  interest  over  the  scenery  of  Jut 
land,  giving  a  charm  to  its  very  desolation,  and  investing 
with  all  the  beauty  of  a  genial  humanity  the  rude  lives 
of  the  gipsies  and  fishermen  who  inhabit  this  wild  region 
of  drifting  sands  and  wintry  tempests.  Steen  Blicher 
has  also  cast  over  it  the  spell  of  his  poetic  genius ;  and 
Von  Buch,  in  his  graphic  narrative,  has  given  a  memora 
ble  interest  to  its  sea-girt  shores,  where  "  masts  and  skel 
etons  of  vessels  stand  like  a  range  of  palisades." 

During  our  passage  through  the  Skager-Kack  we  pass 
ed  innumerable  fleets  of  fishing-smacks,  and  often  en 
countered  the  diminutive  skiffs  of  the  fishermen,  with 
two  or  three  amphibious  occupants,  buffeting  about 
among  the  waves  many  miles  from  the  shore.  The  weath 
er  had  been  steadily  growing  worse  ever  since  our  de 
parture  from  Copenhagen.  As  we  entered  the  North 
Sea  it  began  to  blow  fiercer  than  ever,  and  for  two  days 


402  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

we  experienced  all  the  discomforts  of  chopping  seas  that 
drenched  our  decks  fore  and  aft,  and  chilling  gales  min 
gled  with  fogs  and  heavy  rains.  It  was  cold  enough  for 
mid-winter,  yet  here  we  were  on  the  verge  of  mid-sum 
mer.  Our  little  craft  was  rendered  somewhat  unman 
ageable  by  a  deck-load  of  coal  and  a  heavy  cargo  of 
freight,  and  there  were  periods  when  I  would  have 
thought  myself  fortunate  in  being  once  more  off  Cape 
Horn  in  the  good  ship  Pacific.  The  amtman  and  his 
young  bride  spent  this  portion  of  their  honey-moon  per 
forming  a  kind  of  duet  that  reminded  me  of  my  friend 
Ross  Wallace's  lines  in  "  Perdita :" 

"Like  two  sweet  tunes  that  wandering  met, 
And  so  harmoniously  they  run, 
The  hearer  deems  they  are  but  one." 

At  least  the  harmony  was  perfect,  whatever  might  be 
thought  of  the  music  in  other  respects.  Young  Jonasen 
swallowed  a  few  more  sardines  about  this  period  of  the 
voyage,  which  he  vainly  attempted  to  secure  by  sudden 
and  violent  contractions  of  the  diaphragm.  In  short, 
there  were  but  two  persons  in  the  cabin  besides  Captain 
Andersen  and  myself  who  had  the  temerity  to  appear  at 
table — one  an  old  Danish  merchant,  who  generally  re 
ceived  advices,  midway  through  the  meal,  requiring  his 
immediate  presence  on  deck;  and  the  other  a  gentleman 
from  Holstein,  who  always  lost  his  appetite  after  the 
soup,  and  had  to  jump  up  and  run  to  his  state-room  for 
exercise. 

In  due  time  we  sighted  the  shores  of  Scotland.  A 
pilot  came  on  board  inside  the  Frith  of  Forth,  and,  as 
we  steamed  rapidly  on  our  course,  all  the  passengers  for 
got  their  afflictions,  and  gazed  with  delight  on  the  slo 
ping  sward  and  woodland,  the  picturesque  villages,  and 
romantic  old  castles  that  decorate  the  shores  of  this  mag 
nificent  sheet  of  water. 

Our  destination  was  Grangemouth,  where  we  arrived 
early  on  Sunday  morning.  A  few  sailors  belonging  to 
some  vessels  in  the  docks,  a  custom-house  inspector,  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  403 

three  small  boys,  comprised  the  entire  visible  population 
of  the  place.  Judging  by  the  manner  in  which  the  Sab 
bath  is  kept  in  Scotland,  the  Scotch  must  be  a  profound 
ly  moral  people.  The  towns  are  like  grave-yards,  and 
the  inhabitants  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  sextons, 
or  men  who  spend  much  of  their  lives  in  burying  the 
dead. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  get  a  newspaper  containing  the 
latest  intelligence  from  America,  but  was  informed  that 
none  could  be  had  on  Sunday.  I  wanted  to  go  up  to 
Edinburg:  it  was  not  possible  on  Sunday.  I  asked  a 
man  where  could  I  get  some  cigars?  he  didna  ken;  it 
was  Sunday.  The  depressed  expression  of  the  fog?  peo 
ple  I  met  began  to  prey  like  a  nightmare  on  my  spirits. 
Doubtless  it  is  a  very  good  thing  to  pay  a  decent  regard 
to  the  Sabbath,  but  can  any  body  tell  me  where  we  are 
commanded  to  look  gloomy?  The  contrast  was  certain 
ly  very  striking  between  the  Scotch  and  the  Danes.  Of 
course  there  is  no  such  thing  as  drunkenness  in  Scotland, 
no  assaults  and  batteries,  no  robberies  and  murders,  no 
divorces,  no  cheating  among  the  merchants  of  Glasgow 
or  the  bankers  of  Edinburg,  no  sympathizing  with  rebel 
lion  and  the  institution  of  slavery — for  the  Scotch  are  a 
sober  and  righteous  people,  much  given  to  sackcloth  and 
ashes,  manufactures  of  iron,  and  societies  for  the  insu 
rance  of  property  against  fire. 

The  Arcturus  was  detained  several  days  discharging 
and  taking  in  freight.  I  availed  myself  of  the  first  train 
to  visit  Edinburg.  A  day  there,  and  an  excursion  to 
Glasgow  and  Loch  Lomond,  agreeably  occupied  the  time. 
T  must  confess  the  scenery — beautiful  as  it  is,  and  fraught 
with  all  the  interest  that  history  and  genius  can  throw 
over  it — disappointed  me.  It  was  not  what  I  expected. 
It  was  a  damp,  moist,  uncomfortable  reality,  as  Mantalini 
would  say — not  very  grand  or  striking  in  any  respect. 
A  subsequent  excursion  to  the  Trosachs,  Loch  Katrine, 
Loch  Long,  and  the  Clyde,  afforded  me  a  better  oppor 
tunity  of  judging,  yet  it  all  seemed  tame  and  common- 


404  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

place  compared  with  the  scenery  of  California  and  Nor 
way.  If  I  enjoyed  a  fair  specimen  of  the  climate— rain, 
wind,  and  fog,  varied  by  sickly  gleams  of  sunshine — it 
strikes  me  it  would  be  a  congenial  country  for  snails  and 
frogs  to  reside  in.  The  Highlands  are  like  all  other  wild 
places  within  the  limits  of  Europe,  very  gentle  in  their 
wildness  compared  with  the  rugged  slopes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  must  have  possessed  an 
uncommonly  strong  constitution  if  she  made  her  noctur 
nal  excursions  on  Loch  Katrine  in  a  thin  white  robe  with 
out  suffering  any  bad  consequences,  for  I  found  a  stout 
overcoat  insufficient  to  keep  the  chilling,  mists  of  that  re 
gion  from  seeking  in  my  bones  a  suitable  location  for 
rheumatism. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE   JOLLY   BLOODS. 

I  WAS  quietly  sitting  in  my  state-room,  awaiting  the 
departure  of  the  steamer,  when  a  tremendous  racket  on 
the  cabin  steps,  followed  by  a  rush  of  feet  up  and  down 
the  saloon,  startled  me  out  of  a  pleasant  home-dream. 

"Hello!  What  the  devil!  I  say!  Where's  every 
body  !  Stoord !  Blast  the  fellow !  Here,  Bowser ! 
What'r  ye  abeaout !  Ho  there !  Where  the  dooce  are 
our  berths  ?  By  Jove !  Ha !  ha !  This  is  jolly  !" 

Other  voices  joined  in,  with  a  general  chorus  of  com 
plaints  and  exclamations — "  Egad  !  it's  a  do  !  No  berths, 
no  state-rooms !  Ho,  Stoord  !  Where's  my  trunk?  I 
say,  Stoord,  where's  my  fishing-rod  ?  Hey !  hey !  did 
you  'appen  to  see  my  overalls  ?  I've  lost  my  gun  !  'Pon 
my  word,  this  is  a  pretty  do !  Let's  go  see  the  Agent?" 
"Come  on!  Certainly!"  "Oh,  hang  it,  no!"  "Oh 
yes!"  "Here,  Bowser!  What  the  devil!  Where's 
Bowser?  Gone  ashore,  by  Jove!  A  pretty  kettle  of 
fish !"  Here  there  was  a  sudden  and  general  stampede, 
and  amid  loud  exclamations  of  "  Beastly !"  and  "  Dis- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  405 

gusting !"  the  party  left  the  cabin.  I  barely  had  time  to 
see  that  it  consisted  of  some  four  or  five  fashionable  tour 
ists — spirited  young  bloods  of  sporting  proclivities,  who 
had  taken  passage  for  Iceland.  The  prospect  of  having 
some  company  was  pleasant  enough,  and  from  the  speci 
men  I  had  seen  there  could  be  no  doubt  it  would  be  live 
ly  and  entertaining. 

Once  more  during  the  night  I  was  aroused  by  a  repe 
tition  of  the'  noises  and  exclamations  already  described. 
The  steamer  was  moving  off.  The  passengers  were  all 
on  board.  We  were  battering  our  way  through  the 
canal.  Soon  the  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean  began  to 
subdue  the  enthusiasm  of  the  sportsmen,  and  before  morn 
ing  my  ears  were  saluted  by  sounds  and  observations  of 
a  very  different  character. 

I  shall  only  add  at  present,  in  reference  to  this  lively 
party  of  young  "  Britishers,"  that  I  found  them  very  good 
fellows  in  their  way — a  little  boisterous  and  inexperi 
enced,  but  well-educated  and  intelligent.  The  young 
chap  with  the  dog  was  what  we  would  call  in  America 
a  "regular  bird."  He  and  his  dog  afforded  us  infinite 
diversion  during  the  whole  passage — racing,  up  and  down 
the  decks,  into  and  out  of  the  cabin,  and  all  over  each 
other.  There  was  something  so  fresh  and  sprightly 
about  the  fellow,  something  so  good-natured,  that  I  could 
readily  excuse  his  roughness  of  manner.  One  of  the  oth 
ers,  a  quiet,  scholastic-looking  person,  who  did  not  really 
belong  to  the  party,  having  only  met  them  on  board,  was 
a  young  collegian  well  versed  in  Icelandic  literature. 
He  was  going  to  Iceland  to  perfect  himself  in  the  lan 
guage  of  the  country,  and  make  some  translations  of  the 
learned  Sagas. 

A  favorable  wind  enabled  us  to  sight  the  Orkneys  on 
the  afternoon  following  our  departure  from  the  Frith  of 
Forth.  Next  day  we  passed  the  Shetlands,  of  which  we 
had  a  good  view.  The  rocky  shores  of  these  islands,  all 
rugged  and  surf-beaten,  with  myriads  of  wild-fowl  dark 
ening  the  air  around  them,  presented  a  most  tempting 


406 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 


A  I»AM)Y   TOUHIbT. 


field  of  exploration.  I  longed  to  take  a  ramble  in  the 
footsteps  of  Dr.  Johnson  ;  but  to  see  the  Shetlands  would 
be  to  lose  Iceland,  and  of  the  two  I  preferred  seeing  the 
latter.  After  a  pleasant  passage  of  two  days  and  a  half 
from  Grangeraouth  we  made  the  Faroe  Islands,  and  had 
the  good  fortune  to  secure,  without  the  usual  loss  of  time 
occasioned  by  fogs,  an  anchorage  in  the  harbor  of  Thors- 
havn. 


408  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


CHAPTER  XLL 

THE   FAROE   ISLANDS. 

THE  Faroe  Islands  lie  about  midway  between  Scot 
land  and  Iceland,  and  belong  to  Denmark.  The  whole 
group  consists  of  thirty-five  small  islands,  some  of  which 
are  little  more  than  naked  rocks  jutting  up  out  of  the 
sea.  Abput  twenty  are  inhabited.  •  The  rest  are  too  bar 
ren  and  precipitous  to  afford  a  suitable  place  of  abode 
even  for  the  hardy  Faroese.  The  entire  population  is 
estimated  at  something  over  six  thousand,  of  which  the 
greater  part  are  shepherds,  fishermen,  and  bird-catchers. 
Owing  to  the  situation  of  these  islands,  surrounded  by 
the  open  sea  and  within  the  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream, 
the  climate  is  very  mild,  although  th'ey  lie  in  the  sixty- 
second  degree  of  north  latitude.  The  winters  are  never 
severe,  and  frost  and  snow  rarely  last  over  two  months. 
They  are  subject,  however,  at  that  season  to  frequent  and 
terrible  gales  from  the  north,  and  during  the  summer  are 
often  inaccessible  for  days  and  even  weeks,  owing  to 
dense  fogs.  The  humidity  of  the  climate  is  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  grass,  which  covers  the  hills  with  a  bril 
liant  coating  of  green  wherever  there  is  the  least  ap 
proach  to  soil ;  and  where  there  is  no  soil,  as  in  many 
places  along  the  shores,  the  rocks  are  beautifully  draped 
with  moss  and  lichens.  The  highest  point  in  the  group 
is  2800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Sea,  and  the  general 
aspect  of  them  all  is  wild  and  rugged  in  the  extreme. 
Prodigious  cliffs,  a  thousand  feet  high,  stand  like  a  wall 
out  of  the  sea  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Stromoe.  The 
Mygenaes-holm,  a  solitary  rock,  guards,  like  a  sentinel, 
one  of  the  passages,  and  forms  a  terrific  precipice  of  1500 
feet  on  one  side,  against  which  the  waves  break  with  an 
everlasting  roar.  Here  tta  solan-goose,  the  eider-duck, 


410  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

and  innumerable  varieties  of  gulls  and  other  sea-fowl, 
build  their  nests  and  breed. 

At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the  intrepid  bird-hunters 
suspend  themselves  from  the  cliffs  by  means  of  ropes, 
and  feather  their  own  nests  by  robbing  the  nests  of  their 
neighbors.  Enormous  quantities  of  eggs  are  taken  in 
this  way.  The  eider-down,  of  which  the  nests  of  the 
eider-duck  are  composed,  is  one  of  the  most  profitable 
articles  of  Faroese  traffic.  The  mode  of  life  to  which 
these  men  devote  themselves,  and  their  habitual  contact 
with  danger,  render  them  reckless,  and  many  perish  every 
year  by  falling  from  the  rocks.  Widows  and  orphans 
are  numerous  throughout  the  islands. 

The  few  scattering  farms  to  be  seen  on  the  slopes  of 
the  hills  and  in  the  arable  valleys  are  conducted  on  the 
most  primitive  principles.  A  small  patch  of  potatoes 
and  vegetables,  and  in  certain  exposures  a  few  acres  of 
grain,  comprise  the  extent  of  their  agricultural  opera 
tions.  Sheep-raising  is  the  most  profitable  of  their  pur 
suits.  The  climate  appears  to  be  more  congenial  to  the 
growth  of  wool  than  of  cereal  productions.  The  Faroese 
sheep  are  noted  for  the  fineness  and  luxuriance  of  their 
fleece,  and  it  always  commands  a  high  price  in  market. 
A  considerable  portion  of  it  is  manufactured  by  the  in 
habitants,  who  are  quite  skillful  in  weaving  and  knitting. 
They  make  a  kind  of  thick  woolen  shirt,  something  like 
that  known  as  the  Guernsey,  which  for  durability  and 
warmth  is  unsurpassed.  Sailors  and  fishermen  all  over 
the  Northern  seas  consider  themselves  fortunate  if  they 
can  get  possession  of  a  Faroese  shirt.  The  costume  of 
the  men,  which  is  chiefly  home-made,  consists  of  a  rough, 
thick  jacket  of  brown  wool ;  a  coarse  woolen  shirt ;  a 
knitted  bag-shaped  cap  on  the  head ;  a  pair  of  knee- 
breeches  of  the  same  material  as  the  coat ;  a  pair  of  thick 
woolen  stockings,  and  sheep-skin  shoes,  generally  cover 
ed  with  mud — all  of  the  same  brown  or  rather  burnt- 
umber  color.  ,  Exposure  to  the  weather  gives  their  skins, 
naturally  of  a  leathery  texture,  something  of  the  same 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  411 

dull  and  dingy  aspect,  so  that  a  genuine  Faroese  enjoys 
one  advantage — he  can  never  look  much  more  dirty  at 
one  time  than  another. 

The  women  wear  dresses  of  the  same  material,  with 
out  much  attempt  at  shape  or  ornament.  A  colored 
handkerchief  tied  around  the  head,  a  silver  breast-pin, 
and  a  pair  of  ear-rings  of  domestic  manufacture,  com 
prise  their  only  personal  decorations.  As  in  all  coun 
tries  where  the  burden  of  heavy  labor  is  thrown  upon 
the  women,  they  lose  their  comely  looks  at  an  early  age, 
and  become  withered,  ill-shaped,  and  hard-featured  long 
before  they  reach  the  prime  of  life.  The  Faroese  women 
doubtless  make  excellent  wives  for  lazy  men  ;  they  do  all 
the  labors  of  the  house,  and  share  largely  in  those  of  the 
field.  I  do  not  know  that  they  are  more  prolific  than 
good  and  loving  wives  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  but 
they  certainly  enjoy  the  possession  of  as  many  little  cot 
ton-heads  with  dirty  faces,  turned  up  noses,  ragged  el 
bows,  and  tattered  frocks,  as  one  usually  meets  in  the 
course  of  his  travels.  Two  fair  specimens  of  the  rising 
generation,  a  little  boy  and  girl,  made  an  excellent  spec 
ulation  on  the  occasion  of  my  visit  to  Thorshavn.  Know 
ing  by  instinct,  if  not  by  my  dress,  that  I  was  a  stranger, 
they  followed  me  about  wherever  I  rambled,  looking  cu 
riously  and  cautiously  into  my  face,  and  mutually  com 
menting  upon  the  oddity  of  my  appearance — which,  by- 
the-way,  would  have  been  slightly  odd  even  in  the  streets 
of  Xew  York,  wrapped,  as  I  was,  in  the  voluminous  folds 
of  Captain  Sod  ring1  a  old  whaling  coat,  with  a  sketch 
book  in  my  hand  and  a  pair  of  spectacles  on  my  nose. 
However,  no  man  likes  to  be  regarded  as  an  object  of 
curiosity  even  by  two  small  ragamuffins  belonging  to  a 
strange  race,  so  I  just  held  up  suddenly,  and  requested 
these  children  of  Faroe  to  state  explicitly  the  grounds 
of  their  interest  in  my  behalf.  What  they  said  in  reply 
it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  translate,  since  the 
Faroese  language  is  quite  as  impenetrable  as  the  Ice 
landic.  They  looked  so  startled  and  alarmed  wilhal  that 


412 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


a  gleam  of  pity  must  have  manifested  its  appearance  in 
the  corner  of  my  eyes.  The  next  moment  their  faces 
broke  into  a  broad  grin,  and  each  held  out  a  hand  auda- 


KAKOKrtE    OHILDBBM. 


riously,  as  much  as  to  say,  "My  dear  sir,  if  you'll  put  a 
small  copper  in  this  small  hand,  we'll  retract  all  injurious 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  413 

criticisms,  and  ever  after  regard  you  as  a  gentleman  of 
extraordinary  personal  beauty !"  Somehow  my  hand 
slipped  unconsciously  into  my  pocket,  but,  before  handing 
them  the  desired  change,  it  occurred  to  me  to  secure 
their  likenesses  for  publication  as  a  warning  to  the  chil 
dren  of  all  nations  not  to  undertake  a  similar  experiment 
with  any  hope  of  success. 

Thorshavn,  so  named  after  the  old  god  Thor,  is  a  small 
town  of  some  five  or  six  hundred  inhabitants,  situated  on 
the  southeastern  side  of  the  island  of  Stromoe.  In  front 
lies  a  harbor,  indifferently  protected  by  a  small  island 
and  two  rocky  points.  The  anchorage  is  insecure  at  all 
times,  especially  during  the  prevalence  of  southerly  and 
easterly  gales,  when  it  often  becomes  necessary  to  heave 
up  and  put  to  sea ;  and  the  dense  fogs  by  which  the  ap 
proach  to  land  is  generally  obscured  render  navigation 
about  these  islands  extremely  perilous.  Of  the  town  of 
Thorshavn  little  need  be  said.  Its  chief  interest  lies  in 
the  almost  primeval  construction  of  the  houses  and  the 
rustic  simplicity  of  its  inhabitants.  The  few  streets  that 
run  between  the  straggling  lines  of  sheds  and  sod-cover 
ed  huts  scattered  over  the  rocks  are  narrow  and  tortu 
ous,  winding  up  steep,  stony  precipices,  and  into  deep, 
boggy  hollows ;  around  rugged  points,  and  over  scraggy 
mounds  of  gravel  and  grit.  The  public  edifices,  consist 
ing  of  two  or  three  small  churches  and  the  amtman's 
residence,  are  little  better  than  martin-boxes.  For  some 
reason  best  known  to  the  people  in  these  Northern 
climes,  they  paint  their  houses  black,  except  where  the 
roofs  are  covered  with  sod,  which  nature  paints  green. 
I  think  it  must  be  from  some  notion  that  it  gives  them  a 
cheerful  aspect,  though  the  darkness  of  the  paint  and  the 
chilly  luxuriance  of  the  green  did  not  strike  me  with  joy 
ous  impressions.  If  Scotland  can  claim  some  advantages 
as  a  place  of  residence  for  snails,  Thorshavn  must  surely 
be  a  paradise  for  toads  accustomed  to  feed  upon  the 
vapors  of  a  dungeon.  The  wharves — loose  masses  of 
rock  at  the  boat-landing — are  singularly  luxuriant  in  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  415 

article  offish.  Prodigious  piles  offish  lie  about  in  every 
direction.  The  shambling  old  store-houses  are  crammed 
with  fish,  and  the  heads  of  fish  and  the  back-bones  of 
fish  lie  bleaching  on  the  rocks.  The  gravelly  patches  of 
beach  are  slimy  with  the  entrails  of  fresh  fish,  and  the 
air  is  foul  with  the  odor  of  decayed  fish.  The  boatmen 
that  lounge  about  waiting  for  a  job  are  saturated  with 
fish  inside  and  out — like  their  boats.  The  cats,  crows, 
and  ravens  mingle  in  social  harmony  over  the  dreadful 
carnival  offish.  In  fine,  the  impression  produced  upon 
the  stranger  who  lands  for  the  first  time  is  that  he  has 
accidentally  turned  up  in  some  piscatorial  hell,  where  the 
tortures  of  skinning,  drying,  and  disemboweling  are  per 
formed  by  the  unrelenting  hands  of  man. 

In  addition  to  the  standing  population  of  Thorshavn, 
the  fortifications — an  abandoned  mud-bank,  a  flag-staff, 
and  aboard  shanty — are  subject,  in  times  of  great  public 
peril,  to  be  defended  by  a  standing  army  and  navy  of 
twenty-four  soldiers,  one  small  boat,  one  corporal,  and 
the  governor  of  the  islands,  who  takes  the  field  himself 
at  the  head  of  this  bloody  phalanx  of  Danes  still  reeking 
with  the  gore  of  slaughtered  fish.  Upon  the  occasion 
of  the  arrival  of  the  Arcturus — the  only  steamer  that  ever 
touches  here  —  the  principal  amtman,  upon  perceiving 
the  vessel  in  the  distance,  immediately  proceeds  to  or 
ganize  the  army  and  navy  for  a  grand  display.  First  he 
shaves  and  puts  on  his  uniform ;  then  calling  together 
the  troops,  who  are  also  sailors,  he  carefully  inspects 
them,  and  selecting  from  the  number  the  darkest,  dirtiest, 
and  most  bloody-looking,  he  causes  them  to  buckle  on 
their  swords.  This  done,  he  delivers  a  brief  address, 
recommending  them  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  schnapps 
and  other  intoxicating  beverages  till  the  departure  of 
the  steamer.  The  dignity  of  official  position  requires 
that  he  should  remain  on  shore  for  the  space  of  one  hour 
after  the  dropping  of  the  anchor.  He  then  musters  his 
forces,  marches  them  down  to  his  war-skiff,  from  the 
stern  of  which  waves  the  Danish  flag,  and,  placing  an 


416  THE  LAND  OF  THOB. 

oar  in  the  hands  of  each  man,  he  gives  the  order  to  ad 
vance  and  board  the  steamer.  On  his  arrival  alongside 
he  touches  his  cap  to  the  passengers  in  a  grave  and  dig 
nified  manner,  and  expresses  a  desire  to  see  our  command 
er,  Captain  Andersen,  who,  during  this  period  of  the  cer 
emony,  is  down  below,  busily  occupied  in  arranging  the 
brandy  and  crackers.  The  appearance  of  Captain  An 
dersen  on  deck  is  politely  acknowledged  by  the  amtman, 
who  thereupon  orders  his  men  to  pull  alongside,  when 
the  two  cabin-boys  and  the  cook  kindly  assist  him  over 
the  gangway.  Descending  into  the  cabin,  he  carefully 
examines  the  ship's  papers,  pronounces  them  all  right, 
and  joins  Captain  Andersen  in  a  social  "  smile."  Then, 
having  delivered  himself  of  the  latest  intelligence  on  the 
subject  of  wool  and  codfish,  he  returns  to  his  boat  and 
proceeds  to  his  quarters  on  shore.  All  this  is  done  with 
a  quiet  and  dignified  formality  both  pleasing  and  im 
pressive. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  severity  of  the  laws  that  gov 
ern  the  Faroe  Islands,  and  the  upright  and  inexorable 
character  of  the  governor  and  principal  amtman,  I  must 
relate  an  incident  that  occurred  under  my  own  observa 
tion. 

Shortly  after  the  Arcturus  had  cast  anchor,  the-  party 
of  British  sportsmen  already  mentioned  went  ashore 
with  their  dogs  and  guns,  and  began  an  indiscriminate 
slaughter  of  all  the  game  within  two  miles  of  Thorshavn, 
consisting  of  three  plovers,  a  snipe,  and  some  half  a  doz 
en  sparrows.  The  captain  had  warned  them  that  such 
a  proceeding  was  contrary  to  law,  and  a  citizen  of  Thors 
havn  had  gently  remonstrated  with  them  as  they  passed 
through  the  town.  When  the  slaughter  commenced,  the 
proprietors  of  the  bog,  in  which  the  game  abounded, 
rushed  to  the  doors  of  their  cabins  to  see  what  was 
going  on,  and  perceiving  that  it  was  a  party  of  English 
men  engaged  in  the  destructive  pastime  of  firing  shot 
guns  about  and  among  the  flocks  of  sheep  that  browsed 
on  the  premises,  they  straightway  laid  a  complaint  before 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR,  417 

the  governor.  The  independent  sons  of  Britain  were 
not  to  be  baffled  of  their  sport  in  this  manner.  They 
cracked  away  as  long  as  they  pleased,  by-Joved  and 
blawsted  the  island  for  not  having  more  game,  and  then 
came  aboard.  The  steamer  hove  up  anchor  and  sailed 
that  night.  Nothing  farther  took  place  to  admonish  us 
of  the  consequences  of  the  trespass  till  our  return  from 
Iceland,  when  the  principal  amtman  came  on  board  with 
a  formidable  placard,  neatly  written,  and  translated  into 
the  three  court  languages  of  the  place — Danish,  French, 
and  English.  The  contents  of  this  document  were  as 
follows :  that  whereas,  in  the  year  1763,  a  law  had  been 
passed  for  the  protection  of  game  on  the  Faroe  Islands, 
which  law  had  not  since  been  rescinded ;  and  whereas 
a  subsequent  law  of  1786  had  been  passed  for  the  pro 
tection  of  sheep  and  other  stock  ranging  at  large  on  the 
said  islands,  which  law  had  not  since  been  rescinded ; 
and  whereas  it  had  been  represented  to  the  governor  of 
the  said  islands  that  certain  persons,  supposed  to  be 
Englishmen,  had  lately  come  on  shore,  armed  with  shot 
guns,  and,  in  violation  of  the  said  laws  of  the  country, 
had  shot  at,  maimed,  and  killed  several  birds,  and  caused 
serious  apprehensions  of  injury  to  the  flocks  of  sheep 
which  were  peaceably  grazing  on  their  respective  ranges ; 
now,  therefore,  this  was  earnestly  to  request  that  all  such 
persons  would  reflect  upon  the  penalties  that  would  at 
tach  to  similar  acts  in  their  own  country,  and  be  thus 
enabled  to  perceive  the  impropriety  of  pursuing  such  a 
course  in  other  countries.  Should  they  fail  to  observe 
the  aforesaid  laws  after  this  warning,  they  would  only 
have  themselves  to  blame  for  the  unpleasant  consequen 
ces  that  must  assuredly  ensue,  etc.,  etc.  [Officially  signed 
and  sealed.] 

Great  formality  was  observed  in  carrying  this  impor 
tant  document  on  board.  It  was  neatly  folded  and  care 
fully  done  up,  with  various  seals  and  blue  ribbons,  in  a 
package  about  six  inches  wide  by  eighteen  in  length,  and 
was  guarded  by  the  select  half  of  the  Faroese  army  and 

S2 


418  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

navy,  being  exactly  twelve  men,  and  delivered  by  the 
amtman  of  the  island  with  a  few  appropriate  and  impress 
ive  remarks,  after  which  it  w^as  hung  up  over  the  cabin 
gangway  by  the  captain  as  a  solemn  warning  to  all  fu 
ture  passengers.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  pro 
duced  the  most  salutary  eifects  upon  the  sporting  gentle 
men.  I  was  really  glad  the  affair  had  taken  place,  as  it 
evidently  afforded  his  excellency  a  favorable  opportuni 
ty  of  promulgating  a  most  excellent  state  paper,  cautious 
ly  conceived  and  judiciously  worded.  The  preparation 
of  it  must  have  occupied  his  time  advantageously  to  him 
self  and  his  country  during  the  entire  period  of  our  ab 
sence. 

I  must  now  turn  back  a  little  to  say  that,  while  my 
comrades  were  engaged  in  their  unlawful  work  of  killing 
the  sparrows  and  frightening  the  sheep,  I  deemed  it  a 
matter  of  personal  safety  to  keep  out  of  range  of  their 
guns.  Apart  from  the  danger  of  arrest,  the  probable 
loss  of  an  eye  or  disfigurement  of  some  ornamental  feat 
ure  was  a  sufficient  consideration  to  satisfy  me  of  the 
policy  of  this  course. 

Taking  a  path  across  the  rugged  desert  of  rocks  and 
bogs,  extending  for  some  miles  back  of  Thorshavn,  I 
quickly  began  to-  ascend  a  barren  range  of  hills,  abound 
ing  in  greenstone  traprock  and  zeolites,  from  the  sum 
mit  of  which  there  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  whole 
surrounding  country,  witli  glimpses  of  the  cloud-capped 
summits  of  the  neighboring  islands.  Beautiful  little  val 
leys,  dotted  with  the  sod-covered  huts  of  the  shepherds 
and  fishermen,  sweep  down  to  the  water's  edge  a  thou 
sand  feet  below  ;  weird  black  bogs,  and  fields  of  scoria 
and  burned  earth,  lie  on  the  slopes  of  the  distant  hills  to 
the  right ;  and  to  the  left  are  rugged  cliffs,  jutting  out 
of  the  sea  like  huge  castles,  around  W7hich  myriads  of 
birds  continually  hover,  piercing  the  air  with  their  wild 
screams.  The  wind  blew  in  such  fierce  gusts  over  the 
bleak  and  desolate  range  of  crags  on  which  I  stood  that 
I  was  glad  ei.ough  to  seek  shelter  down  on  the  leeside. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  410 

It  now  occurred  to  me  to  go  in  search  of  a  ruined 
church  of  which  I  had  read  in  some  traveler's  journal 
said  to  be  within  four  or  five  miles  of  Thorshavn.  Some 
artificial  piles  of  stones,  near  the  ledge  upon  which  I  had 
descended,  indicated  the  existence  of  a  trail.  On  my 
way  down,  a  legion  of  birds,  about  the  size  of  puffins,  be 
gan  to  gather  around,  with  fierce  cries  and  warning  mo 
tions,  as  if  determined  to  dispute  my  progress.  They 
flew  backward  and  forward  within  a  few  feet  of  my  head, 
flapping  their  wings  furiously,  and  uttering  the  most  ter 
rific  cries  of  rage  and  alarm,  so  that  I  was  sorely  puzzled 
to  know  what  was  the  matter.  It  was  not  long  before 
I  came  upon  some  of  their  nests,  which  of  course  ex 
plained  the  difficulty.  Having  no  immediate  use  for  eggs 
or  feathers,  I  left  the  nests  unmolested  and  proceeded  on 
my  way.  In  about  an  hour  I  came  suddenly  upon  a  small 
green  valley  that  lay  some  five  hundred  feet  below,  di 
rectly  on  the  water's  edge.  By  some  mischance  I  had 
lost  the  trail,  and,  in  order  to  descend,  was  obliged  to 
slide  and  scramble  down  the  cliffs — an  experiment  that 
I  presently  discovered  would  probably  cost  me  a  broken 
neck  if  persisted  in  ;  for  when  there  seemed  to  be  no  far 
ther  obstruction,  I  came  all  at  once  upon  a  precipice  at 
least  sixty  feet  deep,  without  a  single  foothold  or  other 
means  of  descent  than  a  clear  jump  to  the  bottom.  Not 
disposed  to  follow  the  example  of  Sam  Patch  on  dry  land, 
I  reluctantly  turned  back.  By  dint  of  scrambling  and 
climbing,  and  slipping  down  various  cliffs  and  slopes,  I 
at  length  reached  a  point  from  which  I  had  a*  view  of 
some  ruins  and  farm-houses  still  some  distance  below. 
Following  the  line  of  the  regular  trail  till  it  struck  into 
the  cliffs,  I  had  no  farther  difficulty  in  reaching  the  val 
ley. 

The  good  people  at  the  farm-house — a  family  by  the 
name  of  Petersen — received  me  in  the  kindest  manner, 
with  many  expressions  of  wonder  at  the  risk  I  had  run 
in  crossing  the  mountain  without  a  guide.  It  was  with 
considerable  difficulty  we  made  ourselves  understood. 


420  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

None  of  the  family  spoke  any  language  except  their  own. 
The  son,  indeed,  a  fine  young  man  of  twenty,  understood 
a  few  words  of  English,  but  that  was  all.  There  is 
something,  nevertheless,  in  genuine  kindness  and  hospi 
tality  that  makes  itself  intelligible  without  the  aid  of 
language.  I  was  immediately  invited  into  the  house, 
and  while  young  Peterseu  entertained  me  with  old  prints 
and  Faroese  books,  his  mother  prepared  an  excellent 
lunch.  Tired  and  worried  after  my  trip,  I  could  offer 
no  objection.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  coffee  and  cream, 
and  the  butter  and'  bread,  and  delicate  fruit-tarts  placed 
on  the  nice  white  table-cloth  by  the  good  Mrs.  Petersen. 
I  ate  and  drank,  and  glowed  all  over  with  a  childlike 
relish  of  the  good  things,  while  the  whole  family  gath 
ered  round  and  tried  to  make  me  understand  that  they 
had  a  relative  in  California,  who  lived  in  the  mines  at  a 
pliace  called  Six-mile-bar,  and  that  they  were  glad  to  see 
a  Californian,  and  wanted  to  know  all  about  California. 
It  is  wonderful  with  how  few  words  we  can  commu 
nicate  our  ideas  when  necessity  compels  us  to  depend 
upon  our  ingenuity.  Before  I  had  parted  from  that 
family  the  whole  matter  was  perfectly  explained ;  the 
history  of  their  absent  relative  was  quite  clear  to  me,  and 
they  had  a  very  fair  conception  of  the  kind  of  country 
in  which  he  lived.  Upon  no  consideration  would  they 
receive  compensation  for  the  lunch,  and  they  even  seem 
ed  offended  when  I  endeavored  to  press  it  upon  them. 
This,  from  people  whom  I  had  never  seen  before — a  plain 
country  family  living  in  a  wilderness  where  such  luxu 
ries  as  sugar  and  coffee  could  only  be  had  at  considera 
ble  expense — was  absolutely  refreshing.  For  the  first 
time  since  my  arrival  in  Europe,  after-  having  traversed 
the  whole  Continent,  I  had  encountered  a  specimen  of 
the  human  race  capable  of  refusing  money.  Subsequent 
ly  I  learned  that  this  was  the  common  practice  in  the 
Faroe  Islands.  The  poorest  shepherd  freely  offers  to 
the  stranger  the  hospitality  of  his  hut ;  and  it  is  a  creed 
among  these  worthy  people  not  to  accept  pay  for  coffee 


. 

wr  Tftg  ^* 


422  THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 

nnd  bread,  or  indeed  any  thing  else  they  may  have  to 
offer  in  the  way  of  entertainment.  My  fellow-passengers 
were  similarly  treated  in  Thorshavn,  where  visitors  are 
more  frequent  and  the  customs  of  the  country  less  prim 
itive. 

The  great  object  of  interest  at  Kirk  Goboe  is  the  an 
cient  church,  frofn  which  the  place  derives  its  name ;  a 
long,  low  stone  building,  whitewashed  and  covered  with 
a  sod  roof,  but,  owing  to  repeated  repairs,  now  present 
ing  no  particular  traces  of  antiquity,  although  reported 
to  have  been  built  in  the  eighth  century.  I  have  no 
data  in  reference  to  this  interesting  relic,  and  am  not 
aware  that  antiquarians  have  ever  attempted  to  trace 
out  its  origin.  The  probability  is  that  it  was  built  by 
some  of  those  Culdee  anchorites  of  whom  Dasent  speaks 
as  the  first  settlers  of  Iceland. 

The  interior  of  the  church  contains  an  altar,  and  some 
wooden  carvings  on  the  head-boards  of  the  pews,  evi 
dently  of  great  antiquity.  It  is  impossible  to  conjecture 
from  their  appearance  whether  they  are  five  hundred  or 
a  thousand  years  old — at  least  without  more  research 
than  a  casual  tourist  can  bestow  upon  them. 

There  is  also  within  a  few  steps  of  the  farm-house  a 
much  larger  and  more  picturesque  ruin  of  a  church,  built 
in  a  later  style  of  architecture.  The  only  information  I 
could  get  about  this  ruin  was  that  it  dates  back  as  far 
as  the  fifteenth  century.  The  walls  are  of  rough  stone 
well  put  together,  and  now  stand  roofless  and  moss-cov 
ered,  inhabited  only  by  crows  and  swallows.  The  doors 
and  windows  are  in  the  Gothic  style.  A  sketch  made 
from  the  door  of  the  old  church  first  mentioned,  embra 
cing  the  residence  of  the  Petersen  family,  with  a  glimpse 
of  the  cliffs  and  rugged  ledges  behind  upon  which  their 
flocks  graze,  will  give  the  best  idea  of  the  whole  prem 
ises. 

Having  thus  pleasantly  occupied  a  few  hours  at  Kirk 
Goboe,  I  bade  adieu  to  the  worthy  family  who  had  so 
hospitably  entertained  me,  and  was  about  to  set  out  for 


'.i     ~  '  .  •   at- 


424  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

Thorshavn,  when  young  Petersen,  not  content  with  the 
directions  he  had  given  me,  announced  his  intention  of 
seeing  me  safe  over  the  mountain.  In  vain  I  assured  him 
that,  however  pleasant  his  company  would  be,  I  had  no 
apprehension  of  losing  the  way  this  time.  Go  he  would, 
and  go  he  did ;  and  when  we  parted  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  in  plain  sight  of  Thorshavn,  he  cordially  shook 
me  by  the  hand,  and  said  many  kind  words,  which  I  could 
only  interpret  to  mean  that  he  and  all  his  kith  and  kin 
wished  me  a  pleasant  voyage  to  Iceland,  and  many  years 
of  health  and  happiness. 

When  I  now  recall  the  fine,  intelligent  face  of  this 
young  man,  his  bright  dark  eyes,  healthy  complexion, 
and  strong,  well-knit  frame,  the  latent  energy  in  all  his 
movements,  the  genial  simplicity  of  his  manners,  and  his 
evident  thirst  for  knowledge,  I  can  not  help  feeling  some 
thing  akin  to  regret  that  so  much  good  material  should 
be  wasted  in  the  obscurity  of  a  shepherd's  life.  So  gift 
ed  by  nature,  what  might  not  such  a  youth  achieve  in  an 
appropriate  sphere  of  action  ?  And  yet,  perhaps,  it  is 
better  for  him  that  he  should  spend  his  life  among  the 
barren  cliffs  of  Stromoe,  with  no  more  companions  than 
his  dog  and  his  sheep,  than  jostle  among  men  in  the 
great  outer  world,  to  learn  at  last  the  bitter  lesson  that 
the  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  riches,  nor  the  understand 
ing  with  knowledge. 

On  the  way  down  to  the  Valley  of  Thorshavn  I  met  a 
man  mounted  on  a  shaggy  little  monster,  which  in  almost 
any  other  country  would  have  been  mistaken  for  a  species 
of  sheep.  As  this  was  a  fair  specimen  of  a  Faroese  horse 
and  his  rider,  I  sat  down  on  a  rock  after  they  had  passed 
and  took  the  best  view  of  them  I  could  get. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  scattered  passengers  were 
gathered  together,  and  the  good  people  of  Thorshavn 
came  down  to  the  wharf  to  bid  us  farewell.  In  half  an 
hour  more  we  were  all  on  board.  "  Up  anchor !"  was 
the  order,  and  once  more  we  went  steaming  on  our  way. 

Short  as  our  sojourn  had  been  among  these  primitive 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


425 


FABOESE  ON  HORSEBACK. 


people,  it  furnished  us  with  many  pleasant  reminiscences. 
Their  genial  hospitality  and  simple  good-nature,  together 
with  their  utter  ignorance  of  the  outer  world,  formed  the 
theme  of  various  amusing  anecdotes  during  the  remain 
der  of  the  passage.  Favored  by  a  southerly  wind  and  a 
stock  of  good  coal,  we  made  the  southeastern  point  of 
Iceland  in  a  little  over  two  days  from  Thorshavn. 


426  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

FIRST   IMPRESSIONS    OF   ICELAND. 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  any  thing  more  im 
pressive  than  this  first  view  of  the  land  of  snow  and  fire. 
A  low  stretch  of  black  boggy  coast  to  the  right ;  dark 
cliffs  of  lava  in  front;  far  in  the  background,  range  after 
range  of  bleak,  snow-capped  mountains,  the  fiery  Jokuls 
dimly  visible  through  drifting  masses  of  fog;  to  the  left 
a  broken  wall  of  red,  black,  and  blue  rocks,  weird  and 
surf-beaten,  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach — 
this  was  Iceland !  All  along  the  grim  rifted  coast  the 
dread  marks  of  fire,  and  flood,  and  desolation  were  visi 
ble.  Detached  masses  of  lava,  gnarled  and  scraggy  like 
huge  clinkers,  seemed  tossed  out  into  the  sea;  towers, 
buttresses,  and  battlements,,  shaped  by  the  very  elements 
of  destruction,  reared  their  stern  crests  against  the  waves ; 
glaciers  lay  glittering  upon  the  blackened  slopes  behind  ; 
and  foaming  torrents  of  snow-water  burst  through  the 
rifted  crags  in  front,  and  mingled  their  rage  with  the 
wild  rage  of  the  surf — all  was  battle,  and  ruin,  and  deso 
lation. 

As  we  approached  the  point  called  Portland,  a  colos 
sal  bridge  opened  into  view,  so  symmetrical  in  its  outline 
that  it  was  difficult  to  believe  it  was  not  of  artificial  con 
struction.  The  arch  is  about  fifty  feet  high  by  thirty  in 
width,  and  affords  shelter  to  innumerable  flocks  of  birds, 
whose  nests  are  built  in  the  crevices  underneath.  Solan- 
geese,  eider-ducks,  and  sea-gulls  cover  the  dizzy  heights 
overhead,  and  whales  have  been  known  to  pass  through 
the  passage  below.  Great  numbers  of  blackfish  and  por 
poises  abound  in  this  vicinity.  From  time  to  time,  as 
we  swept  along  on  our  way,  we  could  discern  a  lone 
some  hut  high  up  on  the  shore,  with  a  few  sheep  and  cat- 


428  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

tie  on  the  slopes  of  the  adjacent  hills,  but  for  the  most 
part  the  coast  was  barren  and  desolate.  • 

Early  on  the  following  morning  the  sun-capped  peaks 
of  Mount  Hecla  were  visible.  There  has  been  no  erup 
tion  from  this  mountain  since  1845.  The  principal  cra 
ter  lies  5210  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  dis 
tant  fifteen  miles  from  the  shore. 

Toward  noon  we  made  the  Westmann  Isles,  a  small 
rocky  group  some  ten  miles  distant  from  the  main  island. 
A  fishing  and  trading  establishment,  owned  by  a  com 
pany  of  Danes,  is  located  on  one  of  these  islands.  The 
Arcturus  touches  twice  a  year  to  deliver  and  receive  a 
mail.  On  the  occasion  of  our  visit,  a  boat  came  out  with 
a  hardy-looking  crew  of  Danes  to  receive  the  mail-bag. 
It  was  doubtless  a  matter  of  great  rejoicing  to  them  to 
obtain  news  from  home.  I  had  barely  time  to  make  a 
rough  outline  of  the  islands  as  we  lay  off  the  settlement. 

The  chief  interest  attached  to  the  Westmann  group  is, 
that  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  visited  by  Columbus  in 
1477,  fifteen  years  prior  to  his  voyage  of  discovery  to 
the  shores  of  America.  It  is  now  generally  conceded 
that  the  Icelanders  were  the  original  discoverers  of  the 
American  continent.  Recent  antiquarian  researches  tend 
to  establish  the  fact  that  they  had  advanced  as  far  to  the 
southward  as  Massachusetts  in  the  tenth  century.  They 
held  colonies  on  the  coasts  of  Greenland  and  Labrador, 
and  must  have  had  frequent  intercourse  with  the  Indians 
farther  south.  Columbus  in  all  probability  obtained 
some  valuable  data  from  these  hardy  adventurers.  The 
date  of  his  visit  to  Iceland  is  well  authenticated  by  Beam 
ish,  Rafn,  and  other  eminent  writers  on  the  early  discov 
eries  of  the  Northmen.  , 

Nothing  could  surpass  the  desolate  grandeur  of  the 
coast  as  we  approached  the  point  of  Reykjaness.  It  was 
of  an  almost  infernal  blackness.  The  whole  country 
seemed  uptorn,  rifted,  shattered,  and  scattered  about  in 
a  vast  chaos  of  ruin.  Huge  cliffs  of  lava  split  down  to 
their  bases  toppled  over  the  surf.  Rocks  of  every  con- 


:, 


430 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 


ceivable  shape,  scorched  and  blasted  with  fire,  wrested 
from  the  main  and  hurled  into  the  sea,  battled  with  the 
waves,  their  black  scraggy  points  piercing  the  mist  like 
giant  hands  upthrown  to  smite  or  sink  in  a  fierce  death- 
struggle.  The  wild  havoc  wrought  in  the  conflict  of 
elements  was  appalling.  Birds  screamed  over  the  fear 
ful  wreck  of  matter.  The  surf  from  the  inrolling  waves 
broke  against  the  charred  and  shattered  desert  of  ruin 
with  a  terrific  roar.  Columns  of  spray  shot  up  over  the 
blackened  fragments  of  lava,  while  in  every  opening  the 
lashed  waters,  discolored  by  the  collision,  seethed  and 
surged  as  in  a  huge  caldron.  Verily  there  is  One  whose 
"fury  is  poured  out  like  fire ;  the  rocks  are  thrown  down 
by  him  ;  the  mountains  quake,  and  the  hills  melt,  and  the 
earth  is  burned  at  his  presence." 

Passing  a  singular  rock  standing  alone  some  twenty 
miles  off  the  land,  called  the  Meal-sack,  we  soon  changed 


our  course  and  bore  up  for  the  harbor  of  Reykjavik.    By 

the  time  we  reached  the  anchorage  our  voyage  from 

Thorsliavn  had  occupied  exactly  three  days  and  six  hours. 

Trusting  *,hat  the  reader  will  pardon  me  for  the  fre- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  431 

quent  delays  to  which  I  have  subjected  him  since  we 
joined  our  fortunes  at  Copenhagen,  I  shall  now  proceed 
to  the  important  labors  of  the  enterprise  with  this  sol 
emn  understanding — that  the  journey  before  us  is  pretty 
rough,  and  the  prospect  is  strong  that,  in  our  random 
dash  at  the  wonders  of  Iceland,  we  will  encounter  some 
perilous  adventures  by  flood  and  field  ;  but  if  I  don't  car 
ry  him  safely  and  satisfactorily  through  them  all,  he  must 
console  himself  by  the  reflection  that  many  a  good  man 
has  been  sacrificed  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  that 
he  will  suffer  in  excellent  company. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

REYKJAVIK,  THE    CAPITAL    OF    ICELAND. 

MY  first  view  of  the  capital  of  Iceland  was  through  a 
chilling  rain.  A  more  desolate-looking  place  I  had  rare 
ly  if  ever  seen,  though,  like  Don  Quixote's  market-woman 
on  the  ass,  it  was.  susceptible  of  improvement  under  the 
influence  of  an  ardent  imagination.  As  a  subject  for  the 
pencil  of  an  artist,  it  was  at  least  peculiar,  if  not  pictur 
esque.  A  tourist  whose  glowing  fancies  had  not  been 
nipped  in  the  bud  by  the  rigors  of  an  extended  experi 
ence  might  have  been  able  to  invest  it  with  certain  weird 
charms,  but  to  me  it  was  only  the  fag-end  of  civilization, 
abounding  in  horrible  odors  of  decayed  polypi  and  dried 
fish.  A  cutting  wind  from  the  distant  Jokuls  and  a 
searching  rain  did  not  tend  to  soften  the  natural  asperi 
ties  of  its  features.  In  no  point  of  view  did  it  impress 
me  as  a  cheerful  place  of  residence  except  for  wild  ducks 
and  sea-gulls.  The  whole  country  for  miles  around  is  a 
black  desert  of  bogs  and  lava.  Scarcely  an  arable  spot 
is  to  be  seen  save  on  the  tops  of  the  fishermen's  huts, 
where  the  sod  produces  an  abundance  of  grass  and  weeds. 
A  dark  gravelly  slope  in  front  of  the  town,  dotted  with 
boats,  oars,  nets,  and  piles  of  fish  ;  a  long  row  of  sham 
bling  old  store-houses  built  of  wood,  and  painted  a  dismal 


THE  LASD  OF  T11OK.  433 

black,  varied  by  patches  of  dirty  yellow  ;  a  general  hodge 
podge  of  frame  shanties  behind,  constructed  of  old  boards 
and  patched  up  with  drift-wood  ;  a  few  straggling  streets, 
paved  with  broken  lava  and  reeking  with  offal  from  the 
doors  of  the  houses ;  some  dozens  of  idle  citizens  and 
drunken  boatmen  lounging  about  the  grog-shops  ;  a  gang 
of  women,  brawny  and  weather-beaten,  carrying  loads 
of  codfish  down  to  the  landing ;  a  drove  of  shaggy  little 
ponies,  each  tied  to  the  tail  of  the  pony  in  front ;  a  pack 
of  mangy  dogs  prowling  about  in  dirty  places  looking- 
for  something  to  eat,  and  fighting  when  they  got  it — 
this  was  all  I  could  see  of  Reykjavik,  the  famous  Iceland 
ic  capital. 

"The  town  lies  on  a  strip  of  land  between  the  harbor 
and  a  lagoon  in  the  rear.  It  is  said  to  contain  a  popula 
tion  of  two  thousand,  and  if  the  dogs  and  fleas  be  taken 
into  consideration,  I  have  no  doubt  it  does.  Where  two 
thousand  "human  beings  can  stow  themselves  in  a  place 
containing  but  one  hotel,  and  that  a  very  poor  one,  is  a 
matter  of  wonder  to  the  stranger.  The  houses  general 
ly  are  but  one  story  high,  and  seldom  contain  more  than 
two  or  three  rooms.  Some  half  a  dozen  stores,  it  is  true, 
of  better  appearance  than  the  average,  have  been  built 
by  the  Danish  merchants  within  the  past  few  years  ;  and 
the  residence  of  the  governor  and  the  public  University 
are  not  without  some  pretensions  to  style. 

The  only  stone  building  in  Reykjavik  of  any  import 
ance  is  the  "  Cathedral ;"  so  called,  perhaps,  more  in 
honor  of  its  great  antiquity  than  any  thing  imposing 
about  its  style  or  dimensions.  At  present  it  shows  no 
indications  of  age,  having  been  patched,  plastered,  and 
painted  into  quite  a  neat  little  church  of  modern  appear 
ance. 

At  each  end  of  the  town  is  a  small  gathering  of  sod- 
covered  huts,  where  the  fishermen  and  their  families  live 
like  rabbits  in  a  burrow.  That  these  poor  people  are 
not  all  devoured  by  snails  or  crippled  with  rheumatism 
is  a  marvel  to  any  stranger  who  takes  a  peep  into  their 

T 


436 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 


CiiUItCII    AT   BEYKJAVIK, 


filthy  and  cheerless  little  cabins.  The  oozy  slime  offish 
and  smoke  mingles  with  the  green  mould  of  the  rocks; 
barnacles  cover  the  walls,  and  puddles  make  a  soft  car 
peting  for  the  floors.  The  earth  is  overhead,  and  their 
heads  are  under  the  earth,  and  the  light  of  day  has  no 
light  job  of  it  to  get  in  edgewise  through  the  windows. 
The  beaver-huts  and  badger-holes  of  California,  taking 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  437 

into  consideration  the  difference  of  climate,  are  palatial 
residences  compared  with  the  dismal  hovels  of  these  Ice 
landic  fishermen.  At  a  short  distance  they  look  for  all 
the  world  like  mounds  in  a  grave-yard.  The  inhabitants, 
worse  off  than  the  dead,  are  buried  alive.  No  gardens, 
no  cultivated  patches,  no  attempt  at  any  thing  ornament 
al  relieves  the  dreary  monotony  of  the  premises.  Dark 
patches  of  lava,  all  littered  with  the  heads  and  entrails 
offish ;  a  pile  of  turf  from  some  neighboring  bog ;  a  rick 
ety  shed  in  which  the  fish  are  hung  up  to  dry ;  a  gang 
of  wolfish-looking  curs,  horribly  lean  and  voracious;  a 
few  prowling  cats,  and  possibly  a  chicken  deeply  depress 
ed  in  spirits — these  are  the  most  prominent  objects  visi 
ble  in  the  vicinity.  Sloth  and  filth  go  hand  in  hand. 

The  women  are  really  the  only  class  of  inhabitants, 
except  the  fleas,  who  possess  any  vitality.  Rude,  slat 
ternly,  and  ignorant  as  they  are,  they  still  evince  some 
sign  of  life  and  energy  compared  with  the  men.  Over 
taxed  by  domestic  cares,  they  go  down  upon  the  wharves 
when  a  vessel  comes  in,  and  by  hard  labor  earn  enough 
to  purchase  a  few  rags  of  clothing  for  their  children. 
The  men  are  too  lazy  even  to  carry  the  fish  out  of  their 
own  boats.  At  home  they  lie  about  the  doors,  smoking 
and  gossiping,  and  too  often  drunk.  Some  are  too  lazy 
to  get  drunk,  and  go  to  sleep  over  the  effort.  In  truth, 
the  prevailing  indolence  among  all  classes  is  so  striking 
that  one  can  almost  imagine  himself  in  a  Southern  clime. 
There  is  much  about  Reykjavik  to  remind  a  Californian 
traveler  of  San  Diego.  The  drunken  fellowrs  about  the 
stores,  and  the  racing  of  horses  up  and  down  the  streets, 
under  the  stimulus  of  liquor  rather  than  natural  energy, 
sometimes  made  me  feel  quite  at  home. 

On  the  morning  after  my  arrival  I  called  to  see  my 
young  friend  Jonasen,  the  governor's  son,  and  was  most 
hospitably  entertained  by  the  family.  I  had  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  the  governor  from  the  Minister  of  the 
Judiciary  at  Copenhagen,  but  thought  it  unnecessary  to 
present  it.  His  excellency  is  a  good  specimen  of  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  439 

better  class  of  Icelanders — simple,  kind-hearted,  and  po 
lite.  My  casual  acquaintance  with  his  son  was  sufficient 
to  enlist  his  warmest  sympathies.  I  thought  he  would 
destroy  his  equilibrium  as  well  as  my  own  by  repeated 
ly  drinking  my  health  and  wishing  me  a  hearty  welcome 
to  Iceland.  He  said  he  had  never  seen  a  California!!  be 
fore,  and  seemed  astonished  to  find  that  they  had  noses, 
mouths,  ears,  and  skins  like  other  people.  In  one  re 
spect  he  paid  me  a  practical  compliment  that  I  have  rare 
ly  enjoyed  in  the  course  of  my  travels — he  spoke  nearly 
as  bad  French  as  I  did.  Now  I  take  it  that  a  man  who 
speaks  bad  French,  after  years  of  travel  on  the  Conti 
nent  of  Europe,  is  worthy  of  some  consideration.  He  is 
at  least  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  having  well  pre 
served  his  nationality ;  and  when  any  foreigner  tries  to 
speak  it  worse,  but  doesn't  succeed,  I  can  not  but  regard 
it  as  a  tribute  of  respect. 

Young  Jonasen,  I  was  glad  to  see,  had  gotten  over 
his  struggle  with  the  sardines,  and  was  now  in  a  fair  way 
to  enjoy  life.  His  sister,  Miss  Jonasen,  is  a  very  charm 
ing  young  lady,  well  educated  and  intelligent.  She 
speaks  English  quite  fluently,  and  does  the  honors  of  the 
executive  mansion  with  an  easy  grace  scarcely  to  be  ex 
pected  in  this  remote  part  of  the  world.  Both  are  na 
tives  of  Iceland. 

I  should  be  sorry  to  be  understood  as  intimating,  in 
my  brief  sketch  of  Reykjavik,  that  it  is  destitute  of  re 
fined  society.  There  are  families  of  as  cultivated  man 
ners  here  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  world;  and  on  the 
occasion  of  a  ball  or  party,  a  stranger  would  be  surprised 
at  the  display  of  beauty  and  style.  The  University  and 
public  library  attract  students  from  all  parts  of  the  island, 
and  several  of  the  professors  and  literary  men  have  ob 
tained  a  European  reputation.  Two  semi-monthly  news 
papers  are  published  at  Reykjavik,  in  the  Icelandic  lan 
guage.  They  are  well  printed,  and  said  to  be  edited  with 
ability.  I  looked  over  them  very  carefully  from  begin- 
ing  to  end,  and  could  see  nothing  to  object  to  in  any 
portion  of  the  contents. 


440  THE  LAND  OF  Til  OK. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

GEIR   ZOEGA. 

WISHING  to  see  as  much  of  the  island  as  possible  dur 
ing  the  short  time  at  my  disposal,  I  made  application  to 
young  Jonasen  for  information  in  regard  to  a  guide,  and 
through  his  friendly  aid  secured  the  services  of  Geir 
Zoega,  a  man  of  excellent  reputation. 

A  grave,  dignified  man  is  Geir  Zoega,  large  of  frame 
and  strong  of  limb  ;  a  light-haired,  blue-eyed,  fresh,  hon 
est-faced  native,  warm  of  heart  and  trusty  of  hand ;  a 
jewel  of  a  guide,  who  knows  every  rock,  bog,  and  mud- 
puddle  between  Reykjavik  and  the  Geysers;  a  gentle 
man  by  nature,  born  in  all  probability  of  an  iceberg  and 
a  volcano  ;  a  believer  in  ghosts  and  ghouls,  and  a  devout 
member  of  the  Church.  All  hail  to  thee,  Geir  Zoega ! 
I  have  traveled  many  a  rough  mile  with  thee,  used  up 
thy  brandy  and  smoked  thy  cigars,  covered  my  chilled 
body  with  thy  coat,  listened  to  thy  words  of  comfort 
pronounced  in  broken  English,  received  thy  last  kind 
wishes  at  parting,  and  now  I  say,  in  heartfelt  sincerity, 
all  hail  to  thee,  Geir  Zoega !  A  better  man  never  lived, 
or  if  he  did,  he  could  be  better  spared  at  Reykjavik. 

To  my  great  discontent,  I  found  it  indispensable  to 
have  five  horses,  although  I  proposed  making  the  trip 
entirely  without  baggage.  It  seemed  that  two  were 
necessary  for  myself,  two  for  the  guide,  and  one  to  car 
ry  the  provisions  and  tent,  without  which  it  would  be 
very  difficult  to  travel,  since  there  are  no  hotels  in  any 
part  of  the  interior.  Lodgings  may  be  had  at  the  huts 
of  the  peasants,  and  such  rude  fare  as  they  can  furnish; 
but  the  tourist  had  better  rely  upon  his  own  tent  and 
provisions,  unless  lie  has  a  craving  to  be  fed  on  black 
bread  and  curds,  and  to  be  buried  alive  under  a  dismal 
pile  of  sods. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


441 


GEIE  ZOKGA. 


The  reason  why  so  many  horses  are  required  is  plain 
enough.  At  this  time  of  the  year  (June)  they  are  still 
very  poor  after  their  winter's  starvation,  the  pasturage 
is  not  yet  good,  and,  in  order  to  make  a  rapid  journey 
of  any  considerable  length,  frequent  changes  are  necessa 
ry.  Philosophy  and  humanity  combined  to  satisfy  me 
that  the  trip  could  not  well  be  made  with  a  smaller  num 
ber.  I  was  a  little  inquisitive  on  that  point,  partly  on 
the  score  of  expense,  and  partly  on  account  of  the  delay 
T  2 


442  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

and  trouble  that  might  arise  in  taking  care  of  so  many 
animals. 

If  there  is  any  one  trait  common  among  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  it  is  a  natural  sharpness  in  the  traffic  of 
horse-flesh.  My  experience  has  been  wonderfully  uni 
form  in  this  respect  wherever  it  has  been  my  fortune  to 
travel.  I  have  had  the  misfortune  to  be  the  victim  of 
horse-jockeys  in  Syria,  Africa,  Russia,  Norway,  and  even 
California,  where  the  people  are.  proverbially  honest.  I 
have  weighed  the  horse-jockeys  of  the  four  continents  in 
the  balance,  and  never  found  them  wanting  in  natural 
shrewdness.  It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  call  them  un 
principled.  They  are  men  of  most  astonishing  tenacity 
of  principle,  but  unfortunately  they  have  but  one  govern 
ing  principle  in  life — to  get  good  prices  for  bad  horses. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  Reykjavik  the  compe 
tition  among  the  horse-traders  is  really  the  only  lively 
feature  in  the  place.  Immediately  after  the  passengers 
get  ashore  they  are  beset  by  offers  of  accommodation  in 
the  line  of  horse-flesh.  Vagabonds  and  idlers  of  every 
kind,  if  they  possess  nothing  else  in  the  world,  are  at 
least  directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  this  species  of 
property.  The  roughest  specimens  of  humanity  begin 
to  gather  in  from  the  country  around  the  corners  of  the 
streets  near  the  hotel,  with  all  the  worn-out,  lame,  halt, 
blind,  and  spavined  horses  that  can  be  raked  up  by  hook 
or  crook  in  the  neighborhood.  Such  a  medley  was  nev 
er  seen  in  any  other  country.  Barnum's  woolly  horse 
was  nothing  to  these  shaggy,  stunted,  raw-backed,  bow- 
legged,  knock-kneed  little  monsters,  offered  to  the  aston 
ished  traveler  with  unintelligible  pedigrees  in  the  Ice 
landic,  which,  if  literally  translated,  must  surely  mean 
that  they  are  a  mixed  product  of  codfish  and  brushwood. 
The  size  has  but  little  to  do  with  the  age,  and  all  rules 
applicable  as  a  test  in  other  parts  of  the  world  fail  here. 
I  judged  some  of  them  to  be  about  four  months  old,  and 
was  not  at  all  astonished  when  informed  by  disinterested 
spectators  that  they  ranged  from  twelve  to  fifteen  years. 


444  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

Nothing,  in  fact,  could  astonish  me  after  learning  that 
the  horses  in  Iceland  are  fed  during  the  winter  on  dried 
fish.  This  is  a  literal  fact.  Owing  to  the  absence  of 
grain  and  the  scarcity  of  grass,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
keep  life  in  the  poor  animals  during  the  severest  months 
of  the  season  by  giving  them  the  refuse  of  the  fisheries ; 
and,  what  is  very  surprising,  they  relish  it  in  preference 
to  any  other  species  of  food.  Shade  of  Ceres!  what  an 
article  of  diet  for  horses !  Only  think  of  it — riding  on 
the  back  of  a  horse  partly  constructed  offish !  No  won 
der  some  of  them  blow  like  whales. 

In  one  respect  the  traveler  can  not  be  cheated  to  any 
great  extent;  he  can  not  well  lose  more  than  twelve 
specie  dollars  on  any  one  horse,  that  being  the  average 
price.  To  do  the  animals  justice,  they  are  like  singed 
cats — a  great  deal  better  than  they  look.  If  they  are 
not  much  for  beauty,  they  are  at  least  hardy,  docile,  and 
faithful ;  and,  what  is  better,  in  a  country  where  forage 
is  sometimes  difficult  to  find,  will  eat  any  thing  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  short  of  very  hard  lava  or  very  indi 
gestible  trap-rock.  Many  of  them,  in  consequence  of 
these  valuable  qualities,  are  exported  every  year  to  Scot 
land  and  Copenhagen  for  breeding  purposes.  Two  ves 
sels  were  taking  in  cargoes  of  them  during  our  stay  at 
Reykjavik. 

I  was  saved  the  trouble  of  bargaining  for  my  animals 
by  Geir  Zoega,  who  agreed  to  furnish  me  with  the  nec 
essary  number  at  five  Danish  dollars  apiece  the  round 
trip ;  that  is,  about  two  dollars  and  a  half  American, 
which  was  not  at  all  unreasonable.  For  his  own  services 
he  only  charged  a  dollar  a  day,  with  whatever  buono 
mano  I  might  choose  to  give  him.  These  items  I  men 
tion  for  the  benefit  of  my  friends  at  home  who  may  take 
a  notion  to  make  the  trip. 

I  was  anxious  to  get  off  at  once,  but  the  horses  were 
in  the  country  and  had  to  be  brought  up.  Two  days 
were  lost  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  rains,  and  the  trail 
was  said  to  be  in  very  bad  condition.  On  the  morning 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  445 

« 

of  the  third  day  all  was  to  be  ready ;  and  having  pur 
chased  a  few  pounds  of  crackers,  half  a  pound  of  tea,  some 
sugar  and  cheese,  I  was  prepared  to  encounter  the  perils 
of  the  wilderness.  This  was  all  the  provision  I  took.  Of 
other  baggage  I  had  none,  save  my  overcoat  and  sketch 
book,  which,  for  a  journey  of  five  days,  did  not  seem  un 
reasonable.  Zoega  promised  me  any  amount  of  suffer 
ing  ;  but  I  told  him  Californians  rather  enjoyed  that  sort 
of  thins:  than  otherwise. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THE    ENGLISH    TOUKISTS. 

MY  English  friends  were  so  well  provided  with  funds 
and  equipments  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  get 
ready.  They  had  patent  tents,  sheets,  bedsteads,  mat 
tresses,  and  medicine-boxes.  They  had  guns,  too,  in  hand 
some  gun-cases ;  and  compasses,  and  chronometers,  and 
pocket  editions  of  the  poets.  They  had  portable  kitch 
ens  packed  in  tin  boxes,  which  they  emptied  out,  but 
never  could  get  in  again,  comprising  a  general  assort 
ment  of  pots,  pans,  kettles,  skillets,  frying-pans,  knives 
and  forks,  and  pepper-castors.  They  had  demijohns  of 
brandy  and  kegs  of  Port  wine ;  baskets  of  bottled  por 
ter  and  a  dozen  of  Champagne ;  vinegar  by  the  gallon 
and  French  mustard  in  patent  pots ;  likewise  collodium 
for  healing  bruises,  and  musquito-nets  for  keeping  out 
snakes.  They  had  improved  oil-lamps  to  assist  the  day 
light  which  prevails  in  this  latitude  during  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  shaving  apparatus  and  nail-brushes,  and 
cold  cream  for  cracked  lips,  and  dentifrice  for  the  teeth, 
and  patent  preparations  for  the  removal  of  dandruff  from 
the  hair;  likewise  lint  and  splints  for  mending  broken 
legs.  One  of  them  carried  a  theodolite  for  drawing  in 
accessible  mountains  within  a  reasonable  distance;  an 
other  a  photographic  apparatus  for  taking  likenesses  of 
the  natives  and  securing  fac-similes  of  the  wild  beasts ; 


446  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

while  a  third  was  provided  with  a  brass  thief-defender 
for  running  under  doors  and  keeping  them  shut  against 
persons  of  evil  character.  They  had  bags,  boxes,  and 
bales  of  crackers,  preserved  meats,  vegetables,  and  pick 
les  ;  jellies  and  sweet-cake;  concentrated  coffee,  and  a 
small  apparatus  for  the  manufacture  of  ice-cream.  In 
addition  to  all  these,  they  had  patent  overcoats  and  un 
dercoats,  patent  hats  and  patent  boots,  gum-elastic  bed 
covers,  and  portable  gutta-percha  floors  for  tents ;  ropes, 
cords,  horse-shoes,  bits,  saddles  and  bridles,  bags  of  oats, 
fancy  packs  for  horses,  and  locomotive  pegs  for  hanging 
guns  on,  besides  many  other  articles  commonly  deemed 
useful  in  foreign  countries  by  gentlemen  of  the  British 
Islands  who  go  abroad  to  rough  it.  This  was  roughing 
it  with  a  vengeance!  It  would  surely  be  rough  work 
for  me,  an  uncivilized  Californian,  to  travel  in  Iceland  or 
any  other  country  under  such  a  dreadful  complication  of 
conveniences. 

When  all  these  things  were  unpacked  and  scattered 
over  the  beds  and  floors  of  the  hotel,  nothing  could  ex 
cel  the  enthusiasm"  of  the  whole  party — including  my 
self,  for  I  really  had  seen  nothing  in  the  course  of  my 
travels  half  so  amusing.  As  an  old  stager  in  the  camp 
ing  business,  I  was  repeatedly  appealed  to  for  advice  and 
assistance,  which  of  course  I  gave  with  the  natural  po 
liteness  belonging  to  all  Californians,  suggesting  many 
additions.  Warming-pans  for  the  sheets,  pads  of  eider 
down  to  wear  on  the  saddles,  and  bathing-tubs  to  sit  in 
after  a  hard  ride,  would,  I  thought,  be  an  improvement ; 
but  as  such  things  were  difficult  to  be  had  in  Reykjavik, 
the  hope  of  obtaining  them  was  abandoned  after  some 
consideration.  "  In  fact,"  said  they,  "  we  are  merely 
roughing  it,  and,  by  Jove,  a  fellow  must  put  up  with 
some  inconveniences  in  a  country  like  this !" 

To  carry  all  these  burdens,  which,  when  tied  up  in 
packs,  occupied  an  extra  room,  required  exactly  eighteen 
horses,  inclusive  of  the  riders,  and  to  bargain  for  eight 
een  horses  was  no  small  job.  The  last  I  saw  of  the  En- 


448  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

glishmen  they  were  standing  in  the  street  surrounded  by 
M  large  portion  of  the  population  of  Reykjavik,  who  had 
every  possible  variety  of  horses  to  sell — horses  shaggy 
and  horses  shaved,  horses  small  and  horses  smaller,  into 
the  mouths  of  which  the  sagacious  travelers  were  in 
tently  peering  in  search  of  teeth — occasionally  punching 
the  poor  creatures  on  the  ribs,  probing  their  backs,  pull 
ing  them  up  by  the  legs,  or  tickling  them  under  the  tail 
to  ascertain  if  they  kicked. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  6  A.M.,  Zoega  was  ready  at 
the  door  of  the  hotel  with  his  shaggy  cavalcade,  which 
surely  was  the  most  extraordinary  spectacle  I  had  ever 
witnessed.  The  horned  horses  of  Africa  would  have 
been  commonplace  objects  in  comparison  with  these  re 
markable  animals  destined  to  carry  me  to  the  Geysers 
of  Iceland.  Each  one  of  them  looked  at  me  through  a 
stack  of  mane  containing  hair  enough  to  have  stuffed 
half  a  dozen  chairs;  and  as  for  their  tails,  they  hung 
about  the  poor  creatures  like  huge  bunches  of  wool. 
Some  of  them  were  piebald  and  had  white  eyes — others 
had  no  eyes  at  all.  Seeing  me  look  at  them  rather  ap 
prehensively,  Zoega  remarked, 

"  Oh,  sir,  you  needn't  be  afraid.  They  are  perfectly 
gentle !" 

"  Don't  they  bite  ?"  said  I. 

"  Oh  no,  sir,  not  at*Ul." 

"Nor  kick?" 

"No,  sir,  never." 

"  Nor  lie  down  on  the  way  ?" 

"No,  sir,  not  at  all." 

"  Answer  me  one  more  question,  Zoega,  and  I'm  done." 
[This  I  said  with  great  earnestness.]  "Do  these  horses 
ever  eat  cats  or  porcupines,  or  swallow  heavy  brooms 
with  crooked  handles?" 

"  Oh  no,  sir !"  answered  my  guide,  with  a  look  of  some 
surprise ;  "  they  are  too  well  trained  for  that." 

"Then  I  suppose  they  subsist  on  train-oil  as  well  as 
codfish  ?" 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  449 

"Yes,  sir,  when  they  can  get  it.  They  are  very  fond 
of  oil." 

I  thought  to  myself,  No  wonder  they  are  so  poor  and 
small.  Horses  addicted  to  the  use  of  oil  must  expect  to 
be  of  light  construction.  But  it  was  time  to  be  off. 

A  cup  of  excellent  coffee  and  a  few  biscuit  were  amply 
sufficient  to  prepare  me  for  the  journey.  Our  pack-horse 
carried  two  boxes  and  a  small  tent — all  we  required. 
Before  starting  Zoega  performed  the  Icelandic  ceremony 
of  tying  the  horses  in  a  row,  each  one's  head  to  the  tail 
of  the  horse  in  front.  This,  he  said,  was  the  general 
practice.  If  it  were  not  done  they  would  scatter  out 
side  of  town,  and  it  would  probably  take  two  hours  to 
catch  them  again.  I  had  some  fear  that  if  one  of  the 
number  should  tumble  over  a  precipice  he  would  carry 
several  of  his  comrades  with  him,  or  their  heads  and  tails. 


CHAPTER  XLYI. 

THE    ROAD   TO   THINGVALLA. 

IT  was  a  gray,  gloomy  morning  when  we  sallied  forth 
from  the  silent  streets  of  Reykjavik.  A  chilly  fog  cov 
ered  the  country,  and  little  more  was  to  be  seen  than 
the  jagged  outline  of  the  lava-hills,  and  the  boggy  sinks 
and  morasses  on  either  side  of  the  trail.  The  weird,  fire- 
blasted,  and  flood-scourged  wilderness  on  all  sides  was 
as  silent  as  death,  save  when  we  approached  some  dark 
lagoon,  and  startled  up  the  flocks  of  water-fowl  that 
dwelt  in  its  sedgy  borders.  Then  the  air  was  pierced 
with  wild  screams  and  strange  cries,  and  the  rocks  re 
sounded  to  the  flapping  of  many  wings.  To  me  there 
was  a  peculiar  charm  in  all  this.  It  was  different  from 
any  thing  I  had  recently  experienced.  The  roughness 
of  the  trail,  the  absence  of  cultivated  fields,  the  entire 
exemption  from  the  restraints  of  civilization,  were  per 
fectly  delightful  after  a  dreary  residence  of  nearly  a  year 
in  Germany.  Here,  at  least,  there  were  no  passport  bu- 


450  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

reans,  no  meddlesome  police,  no  conceited  and  disagree 
able  habitues  of  public  places  with  fierce  dogs  running 
at  their  heels,  no  Verbotener  Wegs  staring  one  in  the 
face  at  every  turn.  Here  all  ways  possible  to  be  travel 
ed  were  open  to  the  public;  here  was  plenty  of  fresh  air 
and  no  lack  of  elbow-room;  here  an  unsophisticated 
American  could  travel  without  being  persecuted  every 
ten  minutes  by  applications  from  distinguished  officers 
in  livery  for  six  kreutzers ;  here  an  honest  Californian 
could  chew  tobacco  when  he  felt  disposed,  and  relieve 
his  mind  by  an  occasional  oath  wjien  he  considered  it 
essential  to  a  vigorous  expression  of  his  thoughts. 

It  seemed  very  strange  to  be  traveling  in  Iceland,  ac 
tually  plodding  my  way  over  deserts  of  lava,  and  breath 
ing  blasts  of  air  fresh  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Hecla! 
I  was  at  last  in  the  land  of  the  Sagas — the  land  of  fire, 
and  brimstone,  and  boiling  fountains ! — the  land  which, 
as  a  child,  I  had  been  accustomed  to  look  upon  as  the 
ultima  Thule,  where  men,  and  fish,  and  fire,  and  water 
were  pitted  against  each  other  in  everlasting  strife.  How 
often  had  the  fascinating  vision  of  Icelandic  travel  cross 
ed  my  mind ;  and  how  often  had  I  dismissed  it  with  a 
sigh  as  too  much  happiness  to  hope  for  in  this  world ! 
And  now  it  was  all  realized.  Was  I  any  the  happier? 
Was  it  what  I  expected  ?  Well,  we  won't  probe  these 
questions  too  far.  It  was  a  very  strange  reality,  at  all 
events. 

For  the  first  eight  miles  the  weather  was  thick  and 
rainy ;  after  that  the  sun  began  to  dissipate  the  gloom, 
and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  journey.  Though  a  little 
chilly  in  consequence  of  the  moisture,  the  air  was  not 
really  cold.  As  well  as  I  could  judge,  the  thermometer 
ranged  about  54°  Fahrenheit.  It  frequently  rises  to  76° 
at  Thingvalla  during  the  months  of  July  and  August ; 
and  at  the  Geysers,  and  in  some  of  the  adjacent  valleys, 
the  heat  is  said  to  be  quite  oppressive. 

Notwithstanding  the  roughness  of  the  trail,  which  in 
many  places  passed  for  miles  over  rugged  fields  of  lava, 


452  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

full  of  sharp,  jagged  points  and  dangerous  fissures,  we 
traveled  with  considerable  speed,  seldom  slackening  from 
a  lope.  Zoega  untied  the  horses  from  each  other's  tails 
soon  after  passing  the  road  to  Hafuarfiord,  as  there  was 
no  farther  danger  of  their  separating,  and  then,  with 
many  flourishes  of  his  whip  and  strange  cries,  well  under 
stood  by  our  animals,  led  the  way.  I  must  confess  that, 
in  spite  of  some  pretty  hard  experience  of  bad  roads  in 
the  coast  range  of  California,  there  were  times  during 
our  mad  career  over  the  lava-beds  when  visions  of  maim 
ed  limbs  and  a  mutilated  head  crossed  my  mind.  Should 
my  horse  stumble  on  a  stray  spike  of  lava,  what  possible 
chance  of  escape  wrould  there  be?  Falling  head  fore 
most  on  harrows  and  rakes  would  be  fun  to  a  fall  here, 
where  all  the  instruments  capable  of  human  destruction, 
from  razors,  saws,  and  meat-axes  down  to  spike-nails  and 
punches,  were  duly  represented. 

In  the  course  of  our  journey  we  frequently  overtook 
pack-trains  laden  with  dried  fish  from  the  sea-shore.  The 
main  dependence  of  the  people  throughout  the  country, 
during  the  winter,  is  upon  the  fish  caught  diying  the 
summer.  When  dried  it  is  done  up  in  packs  and  fast 
ened  on  each  side  of  the  horse,  something  in  the  Mex 
ican  style ;  and  each  train  is  attended  by  three  or  four 
men,  and  sometimes  by  women.  About  the  month  of 
June  the  farmers  and  shepherds  go  down  to  Reykjavik, 
or  some  other  convenient  fishing-station  on  the  sea-shore, 
and  lay  in  their  supplies  offish  and  groceries,  which  they 
purchase  from  the  traders  by  exchanges  of  wool,  butter, 
and  other  domestic  products.  After  a  few  days  of  nov 
elty  and  excitement  they  go  back  to  their  quiet  homes, 
where  they  live  in  an  almost  dormant  state  until  the 
next  season,  rarely  receiving  any  news  from  the  great 
outer  world,  or  troubling  their  heads  about  the  affairs 
which  concern  the  rest  of  mankind.  Those  whom  we 
met  had  in  all  probability  not  seen  a  stranger  for  a  year. 
They  are  an  honest,  primitive  people,  decently  but  very 
coarsely  clad  in  rough  woolen  garments  manufactured 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  453 

by  themselves,  and  shaped  much  in  the  European  style. 
On  their  feet  they  wear  moccasins  made  of  sheepskin. 
Whenever  we  met  these  pack-trains  in  any  convenient 
place,  the  drivers  stopped  to  have  a  talk  with  Zoega, 
often  riding  back  a  mile  or  two  to  enjoy  the  novelty  of 
his  conversation.  Being  fresh  from  the  capital,  he  natu 
rally  abounded  in  stirring  news  about  the  price  of  cod 
fish,  and  the  value  of  lard  and  butter,  wool,  stockings, 
mittens,  etc.,  and  such  other  articles  of  traffic  as  they  felt 
interested  in.  He  could  also  give  them  the  latest  intel 
ligence  by  the  steamer,  which  always  astonished  them, 
no  matter  whether  it  concerned  the  throwing  overboard 
of  three  ponies  on  the  last  voyage,  or  the  possible  re 
sumption  of  operations  on  the  Icelandic  telegraph.  In 
every  way  Zoega  was  kind  and  obliging,  and,  being  well 
known  every  where,  was  highly  appreciated  as  a  man 
possessed  of  a  remarkable  fund  of  information.  At  part 
ing  they  generally  stopped  to  kiss  hands  and  take  a  pinch 
of  snuff. 

The  first  time  I  witnessed  the  favorite  ceremony  of 
snuff-taking  I  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  what  it  meant. 
A  man  with  a  small  horn  flask,,  which  it  was  reasonable 
to  suppose  was  filled  with  powder  and  only  used  for  load 
ing  guns  or  pistols,  drew  the  plug  from  it,  and,  stopping 
quite  still  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  threw  his  head  back 
and  applied  the  tube  to  his  nose.  Surely  the  fellow  was 
not  trying  to  blow  his  brains  out  with  the  powder-flask ! 
Two  or  three  times  he  repeated  this  strange  proceeding, 
snorting  all  the  time 'as  if  in  the  agonies  of  suffocation. 
The  gravity  of  his  countenance  was  extraordinary.  I 
could  not  believe  my  eyes. 

"  What  an  absurd  way  of  committing  suicide !"  I  re 
marked  to  Zoega. 

"  Oh,  sir,  he  is  only  taking  snuff!"  was  the  reply. 

"  But  if  he  stops  up  both  nostrils,  how  is  he  going  to 
breathe  ?"  was  my  natural  inquiry. 

Zoega  kindly  explained  that  when  the  man's  nose  was 
full  he  would  naturally  open  his  mouth,  and  as  the  smvff 


454 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


TAKING    SNUFF. 


was  very  fine  and  strong  it  would  eventually  cause  him 
to  sneeze.  In  this  way  it  was  quite  practicable  to  blow 
out  the  load. 

"  But  don't  they  ever  hang  fire  and  burst  their  heads  ?" 
I  asked,  with  some  concern. 

"  Why  no,  sir,  I've  never  heard  of  a  case,"  answered 
Zoega,  in  his  usual  grave  manner ;  "  in  this  country  every 
body  takes  snuiF,  but  I  never  knew  it  to  burst  any  body's 
head." 

It  was  really  refreshing  the  matter-of-fact  manner  in 
which  my  guide  regarded  all  the  .itfairs  of  life.  He  took 
every  thing  in  a  literal  sense,  and  was  of  so  obliging  a 
disposition  that  he  would  spend  hours  in  the  vain  en 
deavor  to  satisfy  my  curiosity  on  any  doubtful  point. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  455 

"  Why,  Zoega,"  said  I,  "  this  is  a  monstrous  practice. 
I  never  saw  any  thing  like  it.  Are  you  quite  sure  that 
fellow  won't  kick  when  he  tries  to  blow  his  nose  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  they  never  kick." 

"  Tell  me,  Zoega,  are  their  breeches  strong  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,  sir." 

"  That's  lucky."  I  was  thinking  of  an  accident  that 
once  occurred  to  a  young  man  of  my  acquaintance. 
Owing  to  a  defect  in  the  breech  of  his  gun,  the  whole 
load  entered  his  head  and  killed  him  instantaneously. 

The  gravity  of  these  good  people  in  their  forms  of  po 
liteness  is  one  of  the  most  striking  features  in  their  social 
intercourse.  The  commonest  peasant  takes  off  his  cap 
to  another  when  they  meet,  and  shaking  hands  and  snuff- 
taking  are  conducted  on  the  most  ceremonious  princi 
ples.  They  do  not,  however,  wholly  confine  themselves 
to  stimulants  for  the  nose.  As  soon  as  they  get  down 
to  Reykjavik  and  finish  their  business,  they  are  very  apt 
to  indulge  in  what  we  call  in  California  "a  bender;" 
that  is  to  say,  they  drink  a  little  too  much  whisky,  and 
hang  around  the  stores  and  streets  for  a  day  or  two  in 
a  state  of  intoxication.  At  other  times  their  habits  are 
temperate,  and  they  pass  the  greater  part  of  their  lives 
among  their  flocks,  free  from  excitement,  and  as1  happy 
as  people  can  be  with  such  limited  means  of  comfort. 
The  uniformity  of  their  lives  would  of  course  be  painful 
to  a  people  possessed  of  more  energy  and  a  higher  order 
of  intelligence ;  but  the  Icelanders  are  well  satisfied  if 
they  can  keep  warm  during  the  dreary  winters,  and  ob 
tain  their  usual  supplies  during  the  summer.  Sometimes 
a  plague  sets  in  among  their  sheep  and  reduces  them  to 
great  distress.  Fire,  pestilence,  and  famine  have  from 
time  to  time  devastated  the  island.  Still,  where  their 
wants  are  so  few,  they  can  bear  with  great  patience  the 
calamities  inflicted  upon  them  by  an  all-wise  Providence. 
Owing  perhaps  to  their  isolated  mode  of  life,  they  are  a 
grave  and  pious  people,  simple  in  their  manners,  super 
stitious,  and  credulous.  They  attend  church  regularly, 


456  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ami  are  much  devoted  to  religious  books  and  evening 
prayers.  No  family  goes  to  bed  without  joining  in  thanks 
giving  for  all  the  benefits  conferred  upon  them  during 
the  day.  Living  as  they  do  amid  the  grandest  phenom 
ena  of  nature,  and  tinctured  with  the  wild  traditions  of 
the  old  Norsemen,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  should 
implicitly  believe  in  wandering  spirits  of  fire  and  flood, 
and  clothe  the  desolate  wastes  of  lava  with  a  poetic  im 
agery  peculiarly  their  own.  Every  rock,  and  river,  and 
bog  is  invested  with  a  legend  or  story,  to  the  truth  of 
which  they  can  bear  personal  witness.  Here  a  ghost 
was  overtaken  by  the  light  of  the  moon  and  turned  to 
stone;  there  voices  were  heard  crying  for  help,  and  be 
cause  no  help  came  a  farmer's  house  was  burned  the  next 
day ;  here  a  certain  man  saw  a  wild  woman,  with  long 
hair,  who  lived  in  a  cave,  and  never  came  out  to  seek  for 
food  save  in  the  midst  of  a  storm,  when  she  was  seen 
chasing  the  birds ;  there  a  great  many  sheep  disappeared 
one  night,  and  it  was  thought  they  were  killed  and  de 
voured  by  a  prodigious  animal  with  two  heads — and  so 
on,  without  end.  Nothing  is  too  marvelous  for  *heir 
credulity.  One  of  my  most  pleasant  experiences  was  to 
talk  with  these  good  people,  through  the  aid  of  my  guide, 
and  hear  them  tell  of  the  wonderful  sights  they  had  seen 
with  their  own  eyes.  Nor  do  I  believe  that  they  had  the 
remotest  intention  of  stretching  the  truth.  Doubtless 
they  imagined  the  reality  of  whatever  they  said.  It  was 
very  strange  to  one  who  had  lived  so  long  among  a  sharp 
and  rather  incredulous  race  of  men  to  hear  full-grown 
people  talk  with  the  simplicity  of  little  children. 

About  half  way  on  our  journey  toward  Thingvalla  it 
was  necessary  to  cross  a  bog,  which  is  never  a  very  agree 
able  undertaking  in  Iceland,  especially  after  heavy  rains. 
This  was  not  the  worst  specimen  of  its  kind,  though  ;  we 
afterward  passed  through  others  that  would  be  difficult 
to  improve  upon  without  entirely  removing  the  bottom. 
A  considerable  portion  of  Iceland  is  intersected  by  these 
treacherous  stretches  of  land  and  water,  through  which 


TILE  LAND  OF  TIIOR.  457 

the  traveler  must  make  his  way  or  relinquish  his  journey. 
Often  it  becomes  a  much  more  difficult  matter  to  find 
the  way  out  than  to  get  in.  Along  the  sea-coast,  to  the 
southward  and  eastward,  some  of  these  vast  bogs  are 
quite  impassable  without  the  assistance  of  a  guide  thor 
oughly  acquainted  with  every  spot  capable  of  bearing  a 
horse.  On  the  route  to  the  Geysers  we  generally  con 
trived  to  avoid  the  worst  places  by  making  a  detour 
around  the  edge's  of  the  hills,  but  this  is  not  always  prac 
ticable.  In  many  places  the  hills  themselves  abound  in 
boggy  ground. 

The  formation  of  the  Icelandic  bog  is  peculiar.  I  have 
seen  something  similar  on  the  Pacific  coast  near  Cape 
Mendocino,  but  by  no  means  so  extensive  and  well-de 
fined.  In  Iceland  it  consists  of  innumerable  tufts  of  earth 
from  two  to  three  feet  high,  interwoven  with  vegetable 
fibres  which  render  them  elastic  when  pressed  by  the 
foot.  These  tufts  stand  out  in  relief  from  the  main 
ground  at  intervals  of  a  few  feet  from  each  other,  and 
frequently  cover  a  large  extent  of  country.  The  tops 
are  covered  with  grass  of  a  very  fine  texture,  furnishing 
a  good  pasture  for  sheep  and  other  stock.  So  regular 
and  apparently  artificial  is  the  appearance  of  these  grassy 
tufts,  that  I  was  at  first  inclined  to  think  they  must  be 
the  remains  of  cultivated  fields — probably  potato-hills,  or 
places  where  corn  had  grown  in  former  times.  Nor  was 
it  altogether  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  groves  of  wood 
might  once  have  covered  these  singular  patches  of  coun 
try,  and  that  they  had  been  uprooted  and  destroyed  by 
some  of  those  violent  convulsions  of  nature  which  from 
time  to  time  have  devastated  the  island.  Dr.  Dasent 
produces  ample  testimony  to  show  that,  in  old  times,  not 
only  corn  grew  in  Iceland,  but  wood  sufficiently  large  to 
be  used  in  building  vessels.  Now  it  is  with  great  diffi 
culty  that  a  few  potatoes  can  be  raised  in  some  of  the 
warmest  spots,  and  there  is  not  a  single  tree  to  be  found 
on  the  entire  island.  The  largest  bushes  I  saw  were  only 
six  or  eight  feet  high. 


458  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

A  singular  fact  connected  with  the  bog-formation  is 
that  it  is  often  found  in  dry  places — on  the  slopes  of 
mountains,  for  example,  in  certain  localities  where  the 
water  never  settles  and  where  the  ground  is  perpetually 
dry.  I  was  greatly  puzzled  by  this,  and  was  scarcely 
satisfied  by  the  explanation  given  by  Zoega,  my  guide, 
who  said  it  was  caused  by  the  action  of  the  frost.  In 
proof  of  the  fact  that  they  are  not  of  artificial  formation, 
and  that  the  process  by  which  they  are  developed  is  al 
ways  going  on,  he  stated  that  in  many  places  where  they 
had  been  leveled  down  for  sheep-corrals  or  some  such 
purpose,  a  similar  formation  of  tufted  hillocks  had  grown 
up  in  the  course  of  a  few  years. 

I  was  continually  troubled  by  the  circuits  made  by 
Zoega  to  avoid  certain  tracts  of  this  kind  which  to  me 
did  not  look  at  all  impracticable.  Once  I  thought  it 
would  be  a  good  joke  to  show  him  that  a  Californian 
could  find  his  way  through  a  strange  country  even  bet 
ter  than  a  native ;  and  watching  a  chance  when  he  was 
not  on  the  look-out — for  I  suspected  what  his  objection 
would  be — I  suddenly  turned  my  horse  toward  the  bog, 
and  urged  him  to  take  the  short  cut.  It  was  such  a  cap 
ital  idea,  that  of  beating  my  own  guide  about  two  miles 
in  a  journey  of  little  more  than  half  a  mile !  But,  strange 
to  say,  the  horse  was  ofZoega's  opinion  respecting  roads 
through  Iceland.  .lie  would  not  budge  into  the  bog  till 
I  inflicted  some  rather  strong  arguments  upon  him,  and 
then  he  went  in  with  great  reluctance.  Before  we  had 
proceeded  a  dozen  yards  he  sank  up  to  his  belly  in  the 
mire,  and  left  me  perched  up  on  two  matted  tufts  about 
four  feet  apart.  Any  disinterested  spectator  would  have 
supposed  at  once  that  I  was  attempting  to  favor  my  guide 
with  a  representation  of  the  colossal  statue  at  Rhodes,  or 
the  Natural  Bridge  in  Virginia.  Zoega,  however,  was 
too  warmly  interested  in  my  behalf  to  take  it  in  this 
way.  As  soon  as  he  missed  me  he  turned  about,  and, 
perceiving  my  critical  position,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his 
voice. 


460  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

"  Sir,  you  can't  go  that  way !" 

"  No,"  said  I,  in  rather  a  desponding  tone,  "  I  see  I 
can't." 

"  Don't  try  it,  sir !"  cried  Zoega ;  "  you'll  certainly  sink 
if  you  do !" 

"  I'll  promise  you  that,  Zoega,"  I  answered,  looking 
gloomily  toward  the  dry  land,  toward  which  my  horse 
was  now  headed,  plunging  frantically  in  a  labyrinth  of 
tufts,  his  head  just  above  the  ground. 

"  Sir,  it's  very  dangerous !"  shouted  Zoega. 

"  Any  sharks  in  it  ?"  I  asked. 

"  No,  sir ;  but  I  don't  see  your  horse !" 

"  Neither  do  I,  Zoega.    Just  sing  out  when  he  blows !" 

But  the  honest  Icelander  saw  a  better  method  than 
that,  which  was  to  dismount  from  his  own  horse,  and 
jump  from  tuft  to  tuft  until  he  got  hold  of  my  bridle. 
With  it  of  course  came  the  poor  animal,  which  by  hard 
pulling  my  trusty  guide  soon  succeeded  in  getting  on 
dry  land.  Meantime  I  discovered  a  way  of  getting  out 
myself  by  a  complicated  system  of  jumps,  and  presently 
we  all  stood  in  a  group,  Zoega  scraping  the  mud  off  the 
sides  of  my  trembling  steed,  while  I  ventured  to  remark 
that  it  was  "a  little  boggy  in  that  direction." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Zoega ;  "  that  was  the  reason  I  was 
going  round." 

And  a  very  sensible  reason  it  was  too,  as  I  now  cheer 
fully  admitted.  After  a  medicinal  pull  at  the  brandy  we 
once  more  proceeded  on  our  way. 

I  mentioned  the  fact  that  there  are  dry  bog-formations 
on  the  sides  of  some  of  the  hills.  It  should  also  be  noted 
that  the  wet  bogs  are  not  always  in  the  lowest  places. 
Frequently  they  are  found  on  elevated  grounds,  and  even 
lii^'h  up  in  the  mountains.  Approaching  a  region  of  this 
kind,  when  the  tufts  are  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  eye, 
the  effect  is  very  peculiar.  It  looks  as  if  an  army  of  grim 
old  Norsemen,  on  their  march  through  the  wilderness, 
had  suddenly  sunk  to  their  necks  in  the  treacherous  earth, 
and  still  stood  in  that  position  with  their  shaggy  heads 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  461 

bared  to  the  tempests.  Often  the  traveler  detects  some 
thing  like  features,  and  it  would  not  be  at  all  difficult,  of 
a  moonlight  night,  to  mistake  them  for  ghostly  warriors 
struggling  to  get  out  on  dry  land.  Indeed,  the  simple- 
minded  peasants,  with  their  accustomed  fertility  of  im 
agination,  have  invested  them  with  life,  and  relate  many 
wonderful  stories  about  their  pranks  of  dark  and  stormy 
nights,  when  it  is  said  they  are  seen  plunging  about  in 
the  water.  Hoarse  cries  are  heard  through  the  gusts  of 
the  tempest;  and  solitary  travelers  on  their  journey  re 
treat  in  dismay,  lest  they  should  be  dragged  into  the 
treacherous  abode  of  these  ghostly  old  Norsemen. 

Not  long  after  our  unpleasant  adventure  we  ascended 
an  eminence  or  dividing  ridge  of  lava,  from  which  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  Lake  of  Thingvalla.  Descending 
by  a  series  of  narrow  defiles,  we  reached  a  sandy  canon 
winding  for  several  miles  nearly  parallel  with  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  The  sides  of  the  hills  now  began  to  exhibit 
a  scanty  vegetation,  and  sometimes  we  crossed  a  moist 
patch  of  pasture  covered  with  a  fine  grass  of  most  bril 
liant  and  beautiful  green.  A  few  huts,  with  sod  walls 
or  fences  around  the  arable  patches  in  the  vicinity,  were 
to  be  seen  from  time  to  time,  but  in  general  the  country 
was  very  thinly  populated.  Flocks  of  sheep,  and  occa 
sionally  a  few  horses,  grazed  on  the  hill-sides. 

The  great  trouble  of  our  lives  in  th*e  neighborhood  of 
these  settlements  was  a  little  dog  belonging  to  my  guide. 
Brusa  was  his  name,  and  the  management  of  our  loose 
horses  was  his  legitimate  occupation.  A  bright,  lively, 
officious  little  fellow  was  Brusa,  very  much  like  a  wolf  in 
appearance,  and  not  unlike  a  human  being  in  certain 
traits  of  his  character.  Montaigne  says  that  great  fault 
was  found  with  him,  when  he  was  mayor  of  his  native 
town,  because  he  was  always  satisfied  to  let  things  go 
along  smoothly ;  and  though  the  citizens  admitted  that 
they  had  never  been  so  free  from  trouble,  they  could  not 
see  the  use  of  a  mayor  who  never  issued  any  ordinances 
or  created  any  public  commotions.  Our  little  dog  was 


462  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

of  precisely  the  same  way  of  thinking.  He  could  see  no 
use  in  holding  office  in  our  train  without  doing  some 
thing,  whether  necessary  or  not.  So,  when  the  horses 
were  going  along  all  right,  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him 
to  give  chase  to  the  sheep.  Stealing  away  quietly,  so 
that  Zoega  might  not  see  him  at  the  start,  he  would  sud 
denly  dart  off  after  the  poor  animals,  with  his  shaggy 
hair  all  erect,  and  never  stop  barking,  snapping,  and  biting 
at  their  legs  till  they  were  scattered  over  miles  of  terri 
tory.  He  was  particularly  severe  upon  the  cowardly 
ewes  and  lambs,  actually  driving  them  frantic  with  ter 
ror  ;  but  the  old  rams  that  stood  to  make  fight  he  always 
passed  with  quiet  disdain.  It  was  in  vain  Zoega  would 
hold  up,  and  utter  the  most  fearful  cries  and  threats  of 
punishment:  "Hur-r-r-r!  Brusa!  B-r-r-r-usa ! !  you  B-r- 
r-usa !  !  !"  Never  a  bit  could  Brusa  be  stopped  once  he 
got  fairly  under  way.  Up  hill,  and  down  hill,  and  over 
the  wild  gorges  he  would  fly  till  entirely  out  of  sight. 
In  about  half  an  hour  he  generally  joined  the  train  again, 
looking,  to  say  the  least  -of  it,  very  sheepish.  I  have  al 
ready  spoken  of  the  gravity  and  dignity  of  Zoega's  man 
ner.  On  occasions  of  this  kind  it  assumed  a  parental  se 
verity  truly  impressive.  Slowly  dismounting  from  his 
horse,  as  if  a  great  duty  devolved  upon  him,  he  would 
unlock  one  of  the  boxes  on  the  pack-horse,  take  there 
from  a  piece  of  br&id,  deliberately  grease  the  same  with 
butter,  and  then  holding  it  forth,  more  in  sorrow  than  in 
anger,  invite  Brusa  to  refresh  himself  after  his  fatiguing 
chase  of  the  sheep.  The  struggle  between  a  guilty  con 
science  and  a  sharp  appetite  would  now  become  painful 
ly  perceptible  on  the  countenance  of  Brusa  as  well  as  in 
the  relaxation  of  his  tail.  As  lie  approached  the  tempt 
ing  morsel  nothing  could  be  more  abject  than  his  man 
ner — stealing  furtive  glances  at  the  eyes  of  his  master, 
and  trying  to  conciliate  him  by  wagging  the  downcast 
tail  between  his  legs.  Alas,  poor  Brusa!  I  suspected 
it  from  the  beginning.  What  do  you  think  of  yourself 
now  ?  Grabbed  by  the  back  of  the  neck  in  the  power- 


THE  LAtfD  OF  THOR. 


463 


GEIll   ZUEGA    A1\L>   BKljSA. 


ftil  hands  of  Geir  Zoega!  Not  a  particle  of  use  for  you 
to  whine,  and  yelp,  and  try  to  beg  off.  You  have  been 
a  very  bad  fellow,  and  must  suffer  the  consequences. 
With  dreadful  deliberation  Zoega  clraws  forth  his  whip, 
which  has  been  carefully  hidden  in  the  folds  of  his  coat 
all  this  time,  and,  holding  the  victim  of  his  displeasure  in 
mid-air,  thus,  as  I  take  it,  apostrophizes  him  in  his  native 
language :  "  O  Brusa !  have  I  not  fed  thee  and  cherished 
thee  with  parental  care?  (Whack!  yelp!  and  whack 
again.)  Have  I  not  been  to  thee  tender  and  true? 
(Whack !  whack !  accompanied  by  heart-rending  yelps 
and  cries.)  And  this  is  thy  ingratitude!  This  is  thy 
return  for  all  my  kindness !  O  how  sharper  than  a  ser- 


404  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOK. 

pent's  tooth  is  the  sting  of  ingratitude !  (Whack.)  I 
warned  thee  about  those  sheep — those  harmless  and  ten 
der  little  lambs !  I  begged  thee  with  tears  in  my  eyes 
not  to  run  after  them ;  but  thou  wert  stubborn  in  thine 
iniquity;  and  now  what  can  I  do  but — (whack) — but 
punish  thee  according  to  my  promise?  "Wilt  thou  ever 
do  it  again  ?  O  say,  Brusa,  wilt  thou  ever  again  be  guilty 
of  this  disreputable  conduct?  (A  melancholy  howl.)  It 
pains  me  to  do  it  (whack),  but  it  is  (whack)  for  thine 
own  good !  Now  hear  and  repent,  and  henceforth  let 
thy  ways  be  the  ways  of  the  virtuous  and  the  just  F'  It 
was  absolutely  delightful  to  witness  the  joy  of  Brusa 
when  the  whipping  was  over.  Without  one  word  of 
comment  Zoega  would  throw  him  the  bread,  and  then 
gravely  mount  his  horse  and  ride  on.  For  hours  after 
the  victim  of  his.  displeasure  would  run,  and  jump,  and 
bark,  and  caper  with  excess  of  delight.  I  really  thought 
it  was  a  kindness  to  whip  him,  he  enjoyed  it  so  much 
afterward. 

Whenever  our  loose  horses  got  off  the  trail  or  lagged 
behind,  the  services  of  our  dog  were  invaluable.  Zoega 
had  a  particular  way  of  directing  his  attention  to  the  er 
rant  animal.  "  Hur-r-r-r  ! — (a  roll  of  the  tongue) — Ilur- 
r-r-r  Brusa !"  and  off  Brusa  would  dash,  his  hair  on  end 
with  rage,  till  within  a  few  feet  of  the  horse,  when  he 
would  commence  a  series  of  terrific  demonstrations,  bark 
ing  and  snapping  at  the  heels  of  the  vagrant.  Backing 
of  ears  to  frighten  him,  or  kicks  at  his  head,  had  no  ter 
rors  for  him ;  he  wak  altogether  too  sagacious  to  be 
caught  within  reach  of  dangerous  weapons. 

I  know  of  nothing  to  equal  the  sagacity  of  these  Ice 
landic  dogs  save  that  of  the  sheep-dogs  of  France  and 
Germany.  They  are  often  sent  out  in  the  pastures  to 
gather  up  the  horses,  and  will  remain  by  them  and  keep 
them  within  bounds  for  days  at  a  time.  They  are  also 
much  used  in  the  management  of  sheep.  Unlike  the 
regular  shepherd-dog  of  Europe,  howrever,  they  are  some 
times  thievish  and  treacherous,  owing  to  their  wolfish 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  465 

origin.  I  do  not  think  we  could  have  made  ten  miles  a 
day  without  Brusa.  In  the  driving  of  pack-trains  a  good 
dog  is  indispensable.  I  always  gave  the  poor  fellow 
something  to  eat  when  we  stopped  in  consideration  of 
his  services. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE    ALMANNAJAU. 

WE  rode  for  some  time  along  an  elevated  plateau  of 
very  barren  aspect  till  something  like  a  break  in  the  out 
line  became  visible  a  few  hundred  yards  ahead.  I  had 
a  kind  of  feeling  that  we  were  approaching  a  crisis  in 
our  journey,  but  said  nothing.  Neither  did  Zoega,  for 
he  was  not  a  man  to  waste  words.  He  always  answered 
my  questions  politely,  but  seldom  volunteered  a  remark. 
Presently  we  entered  a  great  gap  between  two  enormous 
cliifs  of  lava. 

"  What's  this,  Zoega?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  this  is  the  Almannajau  ?" 

"What!  the  great  Almannajau,  where  the  Icelandic* 
Parliament  used  to  camp  !" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  you  see  the  exact  spot  down  there  below." 

And,  in  good  truth,  there  it  was,  some  hundreds  of 
feet  below,  in  a  beautiful  little  green  valley  that  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  the  gap.  Never  had  my  eyes  witnessed 
so  strange  and  wild  a  sight.  A  great  fissure  in  the  earth 
nearly  a  hundred  feet  deep,  walled  up  with  prodigious 
fragments  of  lava,  dark  and  perpendicular,  the  bases 
strewn  with  molten  masses,  scattered  about  in  the  strang 
est  disorder ;  a  valley  of  the  brightest  green,  over  a  hund 
red  feet  wide,  stretching  like  a  river  between  the  fire- 
blasted  cliffs ;  the  trail  winding  through  it  in  snake-like 
undulation — all  now  silent  as  death  under  the  grim  lead 
en  sky,  yet  eloquent  of  terrible  convulsions  in  by-gone 
centuries  and  of  the  voices  of  men  long  since  mingled 
with  the  dust.  Upon  entering  the  gorge  between  the 
U2 


466 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 


KIsTKANOK    TO    THE   ALMANNAJAU. 


sliattcrcd  walls  of  lava  on  cither  side,  the  trail  makes  a 
rapid  descent  of  a  few  hundred  yards  till  it  strikes  into 
the  valley.  I  waited  till  my  guide  had  descended  with 
the  horses,  and  then  took  a  position  a  little  helow  the 
entrance,  so  as  to  command  a  view  out  through  the 
gorge  and  up  the  entire  range  of  the  Almannajau. 

The  appended  sketch,  imperfect  as  it  is,  will  convey 


468  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

some  idea  of  the  scene ;  yet  to  comprise  within  the  brief 
compass  of  a  sheet  of  paper  the  varied  wonders  of  this 
terrible  gap,  the  wild  disorder  of  the  fragments  cast  loose 
over  the  earth,  the  utter  desolation  of  the  whole  place, 
would  be  simply  impossible.  No  artist  has  ever  yet  done 
justice  to  the  scene,  and  certainly  no  mere  amateur  can 
hope  to  attain  better  success. 

Looking  up  the  range  of  the  fissure,  it  resembles  an 
immense  walled  alley,  high  on  one  side,  and  low,  broken, 
and  irregular  on  the  other.  The  main  or  left  side  forms 
a  fearful  precipice  of  more  than  eighty  feet,  and  runs  in 
a  direct  line  toward  the  mountains,  a  distance  of  four  or 
five  miles.  On  the  right,  toward  the  plain  of  Thingvalla, 
the  inferior  side  forms  nearly  a  parallel  line  of  rifted  and 
irregular  masses  of  lava,  perpendicular  in  front  and  rece 
ding  behind.  The  greater  wall  presents  a  dark,  rugged 
face,  composed  of  immense  pillars  and  blocks  of  lava,  de 
fined  by  horizontal  and  vertical  fissures,  strangely  irreg 
ular  in  detail,  but  showing  a  dark,  compact,  and  solid 
front.  In  places  it  is  not  unlike  a  vast  library  of  books, 
shaken  into  the  wildest  confusion  by  some  resistless  pow 
er.  Whole  ranges  of  ink-colored  blocks  are  wrenched 
from  their  places,  and  scattered  about  between  the  ledges. 
Well  may  they  represent  the  law-books  of  the  old  Ice 
landic  Sagas  and  judges,  who  held  their  councils  near  this 
fearful  gorge !  Corresponding  in  face,  but  less  regular 
and  of  inferior  height,  is  the  opposite  wall.  In  its  molten 
state  the  whole  once  formed  a  burning  Hood,  of  such  vast 
extent  and  depth  that  it  is  estimated  by  geologists  nearly 
half  a  century  must  have  elapsed  before  it  became  cool. 
The  bottom  of  this  tremendous  crack  in  the  sea  of  lava 
is  almost  a  dead  level,  and  forms  a  valley  of  about  a  hund 
red  feet  in  width,  which  extends,  with  occasional  breaks 
and  irregularities,  entirely  up  to  the  base  of  the  mount 
ain.  This  valley  is  for  the  most  part  covered  with  a 
beautiful  carpeting  of  fine  green  grass,  but  is  sometimes 
diversified  by  fragments  of  lava  shivered  off  and  cast 
down  from  the  walls  on  either  side. 


THE  LAND  OF-THOR.  469 

The  gorge  by  which  we  entered  must  have  been  im 
practicable  for  horses  in  its  original  state.  Huge  masses 
of  lava,  which  doubtless  once  jammed  up  the  way,  must 
have  been  hurled  over  into  the  gaping  fissures  at  each 
side,  and  something  like  a  road-way  cleared  out  from  the 
chaos  of  ruin.  Pavements  and  side-stones  are  still  visi 
ble,  where  it  is  more  than  probable  the  old  Icelanders 
did  many  a  hard  day's  work.  Eight  or  nine  centuries 
have  not  yet  obliterated  the  traces  of  the  hammer  and 
chisel ;  and  there  were  stones  cast  a  little  on  one  side 
that  still  bear  the  marks  of  horses'  hoofs — the  very  horses 
in  all  probability  ridden  by  old  Sagas  and  lawgivers. 
Through  this  wild  gorge  they  made  their  way  into  the 
sheltered  solitudes  of  the  Almannajau,  where  they  pitched 
their  tents  and  held  their  feasts  previous  to  their  coun 
cils  on  the  Logberg.  Here  passed  the  members  of  the 
Althing ;  here  the  victims  of  the  Logberg  never  repassed 
again. 


SKELETON    VIEW    OF    THE     ALMAMN AJAL. 


There  are  various  theories  concerning  the  original  for 
mation  of  this  wonderful  fissure.  It  is  supposed  by  some 
that  the  flood  of  lava  by  which  Thingvalla  was  desolated 
in  times  of  which  history  presents  no  record  must  have 
cooled  irregularly,  owing  to  the  variation  of  thickness  in 
different  parts  of  the  valley ;  that  at  this  point,  where 
its  depth  was  great,  the  contracting  mass  separated,  and 
the  inferior  portion  gradually  settled  downward  toward 
the  point  of  greatest  depression. 

Others,  again,  hold  the  theory  that  there  was  a  liquid 
drain  of  the  molten  lava  underneath  toward  the  lake,  by 


470 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


means  of  which  a  great  subterranean  cavity  was  formed 
as  far  back  as  the  mountain  ;  that  the  crust  on  top, 
being  of  insufficient  strength  to  bear  its  own  great  weight, 
must  have  fallen  in  as  the  whole  mass  cooled,  and  thus 
created  this  vast  crack  in  the  earth. 

.  I  incline  to  the  first  of  these  the 

ories  myself,  as  the  most  conform 
able  to  the  contractile  laws  of  heat. 
There  is  also  something  like  practi 
cal  evidence  to  sustain  it.  A  care 
ful  examination  of  the  elevations  and 
depressions  on  each  wall  of  the  gap 
satisfied  me  that  they  bear  at  least 
a  very  striking  analogy.  Points  on 
one  side  are  frequently  represented 
by  hollows  on  the  other,  and  even 
-j  complicated  figures  occasionally  find 
a  counterpart,  the  configuration  be- 
§  ing  always  relatively  convex  or  con 
cave.  This  would  seem  to  indicate 
very  clearly  that  the  mass  had  been 
2  forcibly  rent  asunder,  either  by  the 
g  contractile  process  of  heat,  or  a  con 
vulsion  of  the  earth.  The  most  dif- 
®  ficult  point  to  determine  is  why  the 
bottom  should  be  so  flat  and  regular, 
and  what  kept  the  great  mass  on 
each  side  so  far  intact  as  to  form 
one  clearly -defined  fissure  a  hund 
red  feet  wide  and  nearly  five  miles 
in  length?  This,  however,  is  not 
for  an  unlearned  tourist  like  myself 
to  go  into  very  deeply. 

How  many  centuries  have  passed 
away  since  all  this  happened  the 
first  man  who  "gazed  through  the 
rent  of  ruin"  hns  failed  to  leave  on  record — if  he  ever 
knew  it.  The  great  walls  of  the  fissure  stood  grim  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THOB.  471 

black  before  the  old  Icelandic  Sagas,  just  as  they  now 
stand  before  the  astonished  eyes  of  the  tourist.  History 
records  no  material  change  in  its  aspect.  It  may  be  old 
er  than  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt;  yet  it  looks  as  if  the 
eruption  by  which  it  was  caused  might  have  happened 
within  a  lifetime,  so  little  is  there  to  indicate  the  prog 
ress  of  ages.  I  could  not  but  experience  the  strangest 
sensations  in  being  carried  so  far  back  toward  the  be 
ginning  of  the  world. 

At  the  distance  of  about  a  mile  up  the  "  Jau"  a  river 
tumbles  over  the  tipper  wall  of  lava,  and  rushes  down 
the  main  fissure  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  when  it  sud 
denly  diverges  and  breaks  through  a  gap  in  the  inferior 
wall,  and  comes  down  the  valley  on  the  outside  toward 
the  lake. 

During  my  stay  at  Thingvalla  I  walked  up  to  this  part 
of  the  Alrnannajau,  and  made  a  rough  sketch  of  the  wa 
terfall. 

From  the  point  of  rocks  upon  which  I  stood  the  effect 
was  peculiar.  The  course  of  the  river,  which  lies  behind 
the  Jau,  on  the  opposite  side,  is  entirely  hidden  by  the 
great  wall  in  front,  and  nothing  of  it  is  visible  till  the 
whole  river  bursts  over  the  dark  precipice,  and  tumbles, 
foaming  and  roaring,  into  the  tremendous  depths  below, 
where  it  dashes  down  wildly  among  the  shattered  frag 
ments  of  lava  till  it  reaches  the  outlet  into  the  main  val 
ley.  A  mist  rises  up  from  the  falling  water,  and  whirls 
around  the  base  of  the  cataract  in  clouds,  forming  in  the 
rays  of  the  sun  a  series  of  beautiful  rainbows.  The  grim, 
jagged  rocks,  blackened  and  rifted  with  fire,  make  a 
strange  contrast  with  the  delicate  prismatic  colors  of  the 
rainbows,  and  their  sharp  and  rugged  outline  with  the 
soft,  ever-changing  clouds  of  spray. 

The  flocks  of  the  good  pastor  of  Thingvalla  were  quiet 
ly  browsing  among  the  rugged  declivities  where  I  stood. 
Here  were  violence  and  peace  in  striking  contrast;  the 
tremendous  concussion  of  the  falling  water;  the  fearful 
marks  of  convulsion  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other 


THE  LAND  OF  THOU. 


473 


"The  gentle  flocks  that  play  upon  the  green." 
As  I  put  away  my  imperfect  sketch,  and  sauntered 
back  toward  the  hospitable  cabin  of  the  pastor,  a  figure 


ICELANDIC    BiiEl'IlEKU-GlEL. 


emerged  from  the  rocks,  and  I  stood  face  to  face  with  an 
Icelandic  shepherdess. 

Well,  it  is  no  use  to  grow  poetical  over  this  matter. 
To  be  sure,  we  were  alone  in  a  great  wilderness,  and  she 


474  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

was  very  pretty,  and  looked  uncommonly  coquettish  with 
her  tasseled  cap,  neat  blue  bodice,  and  short  petticoats, 
to  say  nothing  of  a  well-turned  pair  of  ankles;  but  then, 
you  see,  I  couldn't  speak  a  word  of  Icelandic,  and  if  I 
could,  what  had  I,  a  responsible  man,  to  say  to  a  pretty 
young  shepherdess  ?  At  most  I  could  only  tell  her  she 
was  extremely  captivating,  and  looked  for  all  the  world 
like  a  flower  in  the  clesert,  born  to  blush  unseen,  etc. 
As  she  skipped  shyly  away  from  me  over  the  rocks  I 
was  struck  with  admiration  at  the  graceful  sprightliness 
of  her  movements,  and  wondered  why  so  much  beauty 
should  be  wasted  upon  silly  sheep,  when  the  world  is  so 
full  of  stout,  brave  young  fellows  who  would  fall  dead  in 
love  with  her  at  the  first  sight.  But  I  had  better  drop 
the  subject.  There  is  a  young  man  of  my  acquaintance 
already  gone  up  to  Norway  to  look  for  the  post-girl  that 
drove  me  over  the  road  to  Trondhjem,  and  at  least  two 
of  my  friends  are  now  on  the  way  to  Hamburg  for  the 
express  purpose  of  witnessing  the  gyrations  of  the  cele 
brated  wheeling  girls.  All  I  hope  is,  that  when  they 
meet  with  those  enterprising  damsels  they  will  follow 
my  example,  and  behave  with  honor  and  discretion. 

Standing  upon  an  eminence  overlooking  the  valley,  I 
was  struck  with  wonder  at  the  vast  field  of  lava  out 
spread  before  me.  Here  is  an  area  at  least  eight  miles 
square,  all  covered  with  a  stony  crust,  varying  from  fifty 
to  a  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  rent  into  gaping  fissures 
and  tossed  about  in  tremendous  fragments ;  once  a  burn 
ing  flood,  covering  the  earth  with  ruin  and  desolation 
\vherever  it  flowed ;  now  a  cold,  weird  desert,  whose 
gloomy  monotony  is  only  relieved  by  stunted  patches  of 
brushwood  and  dark  pools  of  water — all  wrapped  in  a 
denth-like  silence.  Where  could  this  terrible  flood  have 
come  from?  The  mountains  in  the  distance  look  so 
peaceful  in  their  snowy  robes,  so  incapable  of  the  rage 
from  which  all  this  desolation  must  have  sprung,  that  I 
could  scarcely  reconcile  such  terrible  results  with  an  or 
igin  so  apparently  inadequate. 


THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR.  475 

I  questioned  Zoega  on  this  point,  but  not  with  much 
success.  How  was  it  possible,  I  asked,  that  millions  and 
billions  of  tons  of  lava  could  be  vomited  forth  from  the 
crater  of  any  mountain  within  sight?  Here  was  a  solid 
bed  of  lava  spread  over  the  valley,  and  many  miles  be 
yond,  which,  if  piled  up,  shrunken  and  dried  as  it  was, 
would  of  itself  make  a  mountain  larger  than  the  Skjald- 
braid  Jokul,  from  which  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
ejected. 

"  Now,  Zoega,"  said  I,  "  how  do  you  make  it  out  that 
this  came  from  the  Skjaldbraid  Jokul  ?" 

"  Well,  sir,  I  don't  know,  but  I  think  it  came  from  the 
inside  of  the  world." 

"  Why,  Zoega,  the  world  is  only  a  shell-— a  mere  egg 
shell  in  Iceland  I  should  fancy — filled  with  fiery  gases." 

"Is  that  possible,  sir?"  cried  Zoega,  in  undisguised 
astonishment. 

"  Yes,  quite  possible — a  mere  egg-shell !" 

"  Dear  me,  I  didn't  know  that !  It  is  a  wonderful 
world,  sir." 

"Very — especially  in  Iceland." 

"Then,  sir,  I  don't  know  how  this  could  have  happen 
ed,  unless  it  was  done  by  spirits  that  live  in  the  ground. 
Some  people  say  they  are  great  monsters,  and  live  on 
burnt  stones." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  spirits,  Zoega  ?" 

"Oh  yes,  sir;  and  don't  you?  I've  seen  them  many 
a  time.  I  once  saw  a  spirit  nearly  as  large  as  the  Skjald 
braid.  It  came  up  out  of  the  earth  dkectly  before  me 
where  I  was  traveling,  and  shook  its  head  as  if  warning 
me  to  go  back.  I  was  badly  frightened,  and  turned  my 
horse  around  and  went  back.  Then  I  heard  that  my 
best  friend  was  dying.  When  he  was  dead  I  married 
his  wife.  She's  a  very  good  woman,  sir,  and,  if  you  please, 
I'll  get  her  to  make  you  some  coffee  when  we  get  back 
to  Reykjavik." 

So  goes  the  world,  thought  I,  from  the  Skjaldbraid  Jo 
kul  to  a  cup  of  coffee!  Why  bother  our  heads  about 


476  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

these  troublesome  questions,  which  can  only  result  in 
proving  us  all  equally  ignorant.  The  wisest  has  learned 
nothing  save  his  own  ignorance.  He  "  meets  with  dark 
ness  in  the  daytime,  and  gropes  in  the  noonday  as  in  the 
night." 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

THING VALLA. 

THE  extensive  valley  called  Thingvalla,  or  the  Valley 
of  the  "  Thing,"  lies  at  the  head  of  a  lake  of  the  same 
name,  some  fifteen  miles  in  length  by  six  or  seven  in 
width.  The  waters  of  this  lake  are  beautifully  clear,  and 
the  scenery  around  it  is  of  the  wildest  and  most  pictur 
esque  character.  Rugged  mountains  rise  from  its  shores 
in  various  directions,  and  islands  reflect  their  varied  out 
lines  in  its  glassy  surface.  Cranes,  wild  ducks,  plovers, 
and  occasionally  swans,  abound  in  the  lagoons  that  open 
into  it  from  Thingvalla.  The  bed  of  this  fine  sheet  of 
water  corresponds  in  its  configuration  with  the  surround 
ing  country.  It  is  of  volcanic  formation  throughout,  and 
the  rifts  and  fissures  in  the  lava  can  be  traced  as  far  as 
it  is  practicable  to  see  through  the  water. 

On  passing  out  of  the  Almannajau  near  the  lower  fall, 
where  the  river  breaks  out  into  the  main  valley,  the  view 
toward  the  lake  is  extensive  and  imposing.  Along  the 
course  of  the  river  is  a  succession  of  beautiful  little  green 
flats,  upon  whicl*  the  horses  and  cattle  of  the  good  pas 
tor  graze ;  and  farther  down,  on  the  left,  lies  the  church 
and  farm-house.  Still  beyond  are  vast  plains  of  lava, 
gradually  merging  into  the  waters  of  the  lake;  and  in 
the  far  distance  mountain  upon  mountain,  till  the  view  is 
lost  in  the  snowy  Jokuls  of  the  far  interior. 

Descending  into  this  valley  we  soon  crossed  the  river, 
which  is  fordable  at  this  season,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
entered  a  lane  between  the  low  stone  walls  that  sur 
round  the  station. 


478  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

The  church  is  of  modern  construction,  and,  like  all  I 
saw  in  the  interior,  is  made  of  wood,  painted  a  dark  col 
or,  and  roofed  with  boards  covered  with  sheets  of  tarred 
canvas.  It  is  a  very  primitive  little  affair,  only  one  story 
high,  and  not  more  than  fifteen  by  twenty  feet  in  dimen 
sions.  From  the  date  on  the  weather-cock  it  appears  to 
have  been  built  in  1858. 

The  congregation  is  supplied  by  the  few  sheep-ranches 
in  the  neighborhood,  consisting  at  most  of  half  a  dozen 
families.  These  unpretending  little  churches  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  vicinity  of  every  settlement  throughout  the 
whole  island.  Simple  and  homely  as  they  are,  they  speak 
well  for  the  pious  character  of  the  people. 

The  pastor  of  Thingvalla  and  his  family  reside  in  a 
group  of  sod-covered  huts  close  by  the  church.  These 
cheerless  little  hovels  are  really  a  curiosity,  none  of  them 
being  over  ten  or  fifteen  feet  high,  and  all  huddled  to 
gether  without  the  slightest  regard  to  latitude  or  longi 
tude,  like  a  parcel  of  sheep  in  a  storm.  Some  bave  win 
dows  in  the  roof,  and  some  have  chimneys ;  grass  and 
weeds  grow  all  over  them,  and  crooked  by-ways  and 
dark  alleys  run  among  them  and  through  them.  At  the 
base  they  are  walled  up  with  big  lumps  of  lava,  and  two 
of  them  have  board  fronts,  painted  black,  while  the  re 
mainder  are  patched  up  with  turf  and  rubbish  of  all  sorts, 
very  much  in  the  style  of  a  stork's  nest.  A  low  stone 
wall  encircles  the  premises,  but  seems  to  be  of  little  use 
as  a  barrier  against  the  encroachments  of  live-stock, 
being  broken  up  in  gaps  every  few  yards.  In  front  of 
the  group  some  attempt  has  been  made  at  a  pavement, 
which,  however,  must  have  been  abandoned  soon  after 
the  work  was  commenced.  It  is  now  littered  all  over 
with  old  tubs,  pots,  dish-cloths,  and  other  articles  of  do 
mestic  use. 

The  interior  of  this  strange  abode  is  even  more  com 
plicated  than  one  would  be  led  to  expect  from  the  exte 
rior.  Passing  through  a  dilapidated  doorway  in  one  of 
the  smaller  cabins,  which  you  would  hardly  suppose  to 


480  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

be  the  main  entrance,  you  find  yourself  in  a  long  dark 
passage-way,  built  of  rough  stone,  and  roofed  with  wood 
en  rafters  and  brushwood  covered  with  sod.  The  sides 
are  ornamented  with  pegs  stuck  in  the  crevices  between 
the  stones,  upon  which  hang  saddles,  bridles,  horse-shoes, 
bunches  of  herbs,  dried  fish,  and  various  articles  of  cast- 
off  clothing,  including  old  shoes  and  sheepskins.  Wide 
or  narrow,  straight  or  crooked,  to  suit  the  sinuosities  of 
the  different  cabins  into  which  it  forms  the  entrance,  it 
seems  to  have  been  originally  located  upon  the  track  of 
a  blind  boa-constrictor,  though  Bishop  Hatton  denies  the 
existence  of  snakes  in  Iceland.  The  best  room,  or  rather 
house — for  every  room  is  a  house — is  set  apart  for  the 
accommodation  of  travelers.  Another  cabin  is  occupied 
by  some  members  of  the  pastor's  family,  who  bundle 
about  like  a  lot  of  rabbits.  The  kitchen  is  also  the  dog- 
kennel,  and  occasionally  the  sheep-house.  A  pile  of  stones 
in  one  corner  of  it,  upon  which  a  few  twigs  or  scraps  of 
sheep-manure  serve  to  make  the  fire,  constitute  the  cook 
ing  department.  The  beams  overhead  are  decorated  with 
pots  and  kettles,  dried  fish,  stockings,  petticoats,  and  the 
remains  of  a  pair  of  boots  that  probably  belonged  to  the 
pastor  in  his  younger  days.  The  dark  turf  walls  are 
pleasantly  diversified  with  bags  of  oil  hung  on  pegs,  scraps 
of  meat,  old  bottles  and  jars,  and  divers  rusty-looking  in 
struments  for  shearing  sheep  and  cleaning  their  hoofs. 
The  floor  consists  of  the  original  lava-bed,  and  artificial 
puddles  composed  of  slops  and  offal  of  divers  unctuous 
kinds.  Smoke  fills  all  the  cavities  in  the  air  not  already 
occupied  by  foul  odors,  and  the  beams,  and  posts,  and 
rickety  old  bits  of  furniture  are  dyed  to  the  core  with 
the  dense  and  variegated  atmosphere  around  them.  This 
is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  whole  establishment,  with  the 
exception  of  the  travelers'  room.  The  beds  in  these  cab 
ins  are  the  chief  articles  of  luxury.  Feathers  being  abun 
dant,  they  arc  sewed  up  in  prodigious  ticks,  which  are 
tumbled  topsy-turvy  into  big  boxes  on  legs  that  servo 
for  bedsteads,  and  then  covered  over  with  piles  of  all  the 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  481 

loose  blankets,  petticoats,  and  cast-off  rags  possible  to  be 
gathered  up  about  the  premises.  Into  these  comfortable 
nests  the  sleepers  dive  every  night,  and,  whether  in  sum 
mer  or  winter,  cover  themselves  up  under  the  odorous 
mountain  of  rags,  and  snooze  away  till  morning.  During 
the  long  winter  nights  they  spend  on  an  average  about 
sixteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  in  this  agreeable 
manner.  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  every  crevice 
in  the  house  is  carefully  stopped  up  in  order  to  keep  out 
the  cold  air,  and  that  whole  families  frequently  occupy  a 
single  apartment  not  over  ten  by  twelve,  the  idea  of  being 
able  to  cut  through  the  atmosphere  with  a  cleaver  seems 
perfectly  preposterous.  A  night's  respiration  in  such  a 
hole  is  quite  sufficient  to  saturate  the  whole  family  with 
the  substance  of  all  the  fish  and  sheepskins  in  the  vicin 
ity;  and  the  marvel  of  it  is  that  they  don't  come  out 
next  day  wagging  their  fins  or  bleating  like  sheep.  I 
wonder  they  ever  have  any  occasion  to  eat.  Absorption 
must  supply  them  with  a  large  amount  of  nutriment ; 
but  I  suppose  what  is  gained  in  that  way  is  lost  in  the 
fattening  of  certain  other  members  of  the  household. 
Warmth  seems  to  be  the  principal  object,  and  certainly 
it  is  no  small  consideration  in  a  country  where  fuel  is  so 
scarce. 

I  can  not  conceive  of  more  wretched  abodes  for  human 
beings.  They  are,  indeed,  very  little  better  than  fox-holes 
— certainly  not  much  sweeter.  Yet  in  such  rude  habi 
tations  as  these  the  priests  of  Iceland  study  the  classical 
languages,  and  perfect  themselves  in  the  early  literature 
of  their  country.  Many  of  them  become  learned,  and 
devote  much  of  their  lives  to  the  pursuits  of  science.  In 
the  northern  part  of  the  country  the  houses  are  said  to 
be  better  and  more  capacious ;  but  the  example  I  have 
given  is  a  fair  average  of  what  I  saw. 

The  passionate  devotion   of  the  Icelanders  to  their 

homes  is  almost  inconceivable.     I  have  never  seen  any 

thing  like  it.     The  most  favored  nations  of  the  earth  can 

not  furnish  examples  of  such  intense  and  all-absorbing 

X 


482  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

love  of  home  and  country.     I  traveled  with  a  native  of 
Reykjavik  some  weeks  after  my  visit  to  Thingvalla,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  judging  what  his  impressions  were 
of  other  countries.     He  was  a  very  intelligent  man,  well 
versed  in  Icelandic  literature,  and  spoke  English  remark 
ably  well.     Both  himself  and  wife  were  fellow-passengers 
on  the  Arcturus  from  Reykjavik  to  Grangemouth.    I  was 
curious  to  know  what  a  well-educated  man  would  think 
of  a  civilized  country,  and  watched  him  very  closely.    He 
had  never  seen  a  railway,  locomotive,  or  carriage  of  any 
kind,  not  even  a  tree  or  a  good-sized  house.     We  stop 
ped  at  Leith,  where  we  took  passage  by  the  train  to  Edin- 
burg.     As  soon  as  the  locomotive  started  he  began  to 
laugh  heartily,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  Edinburg  he 
and  his  wife,  though  naturally  grave  people,  were  nearly 
in  convulsions  of  laughter.     I  had  no  idea  that  the  emo 
tion  of  wonder  would  be  manifested  in  that  way  by  civ 
ilized  beings.     Of  course  I  laughed  to  see  them  laugh, 
and  altogether  it  was  very  funny.     We  took  rooms  at 
the  same  hotel,  opposite  to  Sir  Walter  Scott's  monument. 
Now  it  is  needless  to  say  that  Edinburg  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  cities  in  the  world.     Even  Constantinople 
can  scarcely  surpass  it  in  picturesque  beauty.     The  wor 
thy  Icelander,  be  it  remembered,  had  never  seen  even  a 
town,  except  Reykjavik,  of  which  I  have  already  attempt 
ed  a  description.    It  was  night  when  we  arrived  at  Edin 
burg,  so  that  I  had  no  opportunity  of  judging  what  his 
impressions  would  be  at  that  time.     Next  morning  I 
knocked  at  his  room  door.     His  wife  opened  it,  looking 
very  sad,  as  I  thought.     At  the  window,  gazing  out  over 
the  magnificent  scene,  embracing  the  Monument,  the  Cas 
tle,  and  many  of  the  finest  of  the  public  buildings,  stood 
her  husband,  the  big  tears  coursing  down  his  face. 
"Well,"  said  I,  "  what  do  you  think  of  Edinburg?" 
"  Oh  !"  lie  cried,  "  oh,  I  am  so  home-sick !    Oh,  my  dear, 
dear  native  land  !     Oh,  my  own  beautiful  Iceland  !     Oh 
that  I  were  back  in  my  beloved  Reykjavik !     Oh,  I  shall 
die  in  this  desert  of  houses !     Oh  that  I  could  once  more 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  483 

breathe  the  pure  fresh  air  of  ray  own  dear,  dear  island 
home !" 

Such  were  literally  his  expressions.  Not  one  word 
had  he  to  say  about  the  beauties  of  Edinburg !  To  him 
it  was  a  hideous  nightmare.  The  fishy  little  huts  of 
Reykjavik,  the  bleak  lava-deserts  of  the  neighborhood, 
and  the  raw  blasts  from  the  Jokuls,  were  all  he  could 
realize  of  a  Paradise  upon  earth.  Yet  he  was  a  highly- 
cultivated  and  intelligent  man,  not  destitute  of  refined 
tastes.  Truly,  I  thought  to  myself, 

"The  shuddering  tenant  of  the  frigid  zone 
Boldly  proclaims  the  happiest  spot  his  own." 

While  I  waited  outside  the  pastor's  house,  enjoying 
the  oddity  of  the  scene,  Zoega  busied  himself  unsaddling 
the  horses.  I  sat  down  on  a  pile  of  fagots,  and,  with 
some  trouble  and  a  little  assistance  from  my  guide,  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  off  my  overalls,  which  had  been  thor 
oughly  drenched  with  rain  and  saturated  with  mud.  The 
occasional  duckings  we  had  experienced  in  crossing  the 
rivers  did  not  add  to  my  comfort.  I  was  chilled  and 
wet,  and  would  have  given  a  Danish  dollar  for  the  privi 
lege  of  sitting  at  a  fire.  'All  this  time  there  was  no  sign 
of  life  about  the  premises  save  the  barking  of  an  ill-fa 
vored  little  dog  that  was  energetically  disclaiming  any 
acquaintance  with  Brusa.  I  regret  to  say  that  Brusa 
lost  much  of  his  bravado  air  in  the  presence  of  this  insig 
nificant  cur,  but  it  was  quite  natural ;  the  cur  was  at 
home  and  Brusa  wasn't.  At  first  our  dog  seemed  dis 
posed  to  stand  his  ground,  but  upon  the  near  approach 
of  the  house-do^  he  dropped  his  tail  between  his  legs 
and  ingloriously  sneaked  between  the  legs  of  the  horses, 
which  of  course  gave  the  gentleman  of  the  house  a  high 
opinion  of  his  own  prowess — so  much  so,  indeed,  that 
the  craven  spirit  of  Brusa  never  before  appeared  in  such 
a  despicable  light.  He  cringed  and  howled  with  terror, 
which  so  flattered  the  vanity  of  the  other  that  a  fero 
cious  attack  was  the  immediate  consequence.  Fortu 
nately,  a  kick  from  one  of  the  horses  laid  Brusa's  aggress- 


484  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

or  yelping  in  the  mud,  an  advantage  of  which  Brusa 
promptly  availed  himself,  and  the  pastor's  dog  would 
have  fared  badly  in  the  issue  but  for  the  interference  of 
Zoega,  who  separated  the  contending  parties,  and  admin 
istered  a  grave  rebuke  to  the  party  of  our  part  respect 
ing  the  impropriety  of  his  conduct. 

Though  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  had  seen  the  retreat 
ing  figure  of  a  man  as  we  rode  up,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  un 
derstand  why  nobody  appeared  to  ask  us  in  or  bid  us 
welcome,  and  suggested  to  Zoega  that  I  thought  this 
rather  an  unfriendly  reception.  Now,  upon  this  point 
of  Icelandic  hospitality  Zoega  was  peculiarly  sensitive, 
lie  always  maintained  that  the  people,  though  poor,  are 
very  hospitable — so  much  so  that  they  made  no  com 
plaint  when  a  certain  Englishman,  whose  name  he  could 
mention,  stopped  with  them  for  days,  ate  up  all  their  food 
and  drank  up  all  their  coffee,  and  then  went  off  without 
offering  them  even  a  small  present.  "  No  wonder,"  said 
Zoega,  "  this  man  told  a  great  many  lies  about  them,  and 
laughed  at  them  for  refusing  money,  when  the  truth  was 
he  never  offered  them  money  or  any  thing  else.  It  was 
certainly  a  very  cheap  way  of  traveling." 

"  But  what  about  the  pastor,  Zoega  ?  I'm  certain  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  him  as  he  darted  behind  the  door." 

"  Oh,  he'll  be  here  directly  ;  he  always  runs  away  when 
strangers  come." 

"  What  does  he  run  away  for  ?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  sir,  he  is  generally  a  little  dirty,  and 
must  go  wash  himself  and  put  on  some  decent  clothes." 

While  we  were  talking  the  pastor»made  his  appear 
ance,  looking  somewhat  damp  about  the  face  and  hair, 
and  rather  embarrassed  about  the  shape  of  his  coat,  which 
was  much  too  large  for  him,  and  hung  rather  low  about 
his  heels.  With  an  awkward  shuffling  gait  he  approach 
ed  us,  and,  having  shaken  hands  with  Zoega,  looked  as 
kant  at  me,  and  said  something,  which  my  guide  inter 
preted  as  follows : 

"  lie  bids  you  welcome,  sir,  and  says  his  house  is  at 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


485 


your  service.  It  is  a  very  poor  bouse,  but  it  is  the  best 
he  has.  He  wishes  to  know  if  you  will  take  some  cof 
fee,  and  asks  what  part  of  the  world  you  are  from.  I 
tell  him  you  are  from  California,  and  he  says  it  is  a  great 
way  off,  clear  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  and 
may  God's  blessing  be  upon  you.  Walk  in,  sir." 


TI1E   PASTOR  OF   THINGVALLA. 


Pleased  with  these  kind  words,  I  stepped  up  to  the 
good  pastor  and  cordially  shook  him  by  the  hand,  at  the 
same  time  desiring  Zoega  to  say  that  I  thanked  him  very 
much,  and  hoped  he  would  make  it  convenient  to  call  and 
see  me  some  time  or  other  in  California,  which,  I  regret 


430  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

to  add,  caused  him  to  look  both  alarmed  and  embarrassed. 
A  queer,  shy  man  was  this  pastor — a  sort  of  living  mum 
my,  dried  up  and  bleached  by  Icelandic  snows.  His  man 
ner  was  singularly  bashful.  There  was  something  of  the 
recluse  in  it — a  mixture  of  shyness,  awkwardness,  and 
intelligence,  as  if  his  life  had  been  spent  chiefly  among 
sheep  and  books,  which  very  likely  was  the  case.  All 
the  time  I  was  trying  to  say  something  agreeable  he  was 
looking  about  him  as  if  he  desired  to  make  his  escape 
into  some  Icelandic  bog,  and  there  hide  himself  during 
my  stay.  I  followed  him  through  the  passage-way  al 
ready  mentioned  into  the  travelers'  room,  where  he  beck 
oned  me  to  take  a  seat,  and  then,  awkwardly  seating  him 
self  on  the  edge  of  a  chair  as  far  away  as  he  could  get 
without  backing  through  the  wall,  addressed  me  in  Dan 
ish.  Finding  me  not  very  proficient  in  that  tongue,  he 
branched  off  into  Latin,  which  he  spoke  as  fluently  as  if 
it  had  been  his  native  language.  Here  again  I  was  at 
fault.  I  had  gone  as  far  as  Quosque  tandem  when  a  boy, 
but  the  vicissitudes  of  time  and  travel  had  knocked  it  all 
out  of  my  head.  I  tried  him  on  the  German,  and  there, 
to  use  a  familiar  phrase,  had  the  "  dead-wood  on  him." 
He  couldn't  understand  a  word  of  that  euphonious  lan 
guage.  However,  a  slight  knowledge  of  the  Spanish, 
picked  up  in  Mexico  and  California,  enabled  me  to  guess 
at  some  of  his  Latin,  and  in  this  way  we  struggled  into 
something  of  conversation.  The  effort,  however,  was 
too  great  for  the  timid  recluse.  After  several  pauses 
and  lapses  into  long  fits  of  silence,  he  got  up  and  took 
his  leave.  Meantime  Zoega  was  enjoying  himself  by  tlfe 
fire  in  the  kitchen,  surrounded  by  the  female  members 
of  the  family,  who  no  doubt  were  eagerly  listening  to 
the  latest  news  from  Reykjavik.  Whenever  their  voices 
became  audible  I  strongly  suspected  that  the  ladies  were 
asking  whether  the  steamer  had  brought  any  crinoline 
from  Copenhagen. 

The  pastor's  family  appeared  to  be  composed  entirely 
of  females.     Like  all  the  Icelandic  women  I  had  seen, 


THE  'LAND  OF  THOR.  487 

they  do  all  the  work  of  the  establishment,  attend  to  the 
cows,  make  the  cheese,  cut  the  hay,  carry  the  heavy  bur 
dens,  and  perform  the  manual  labor  generally.  This  I 
found  to  be  the  case  at  all  the  farm-houses.  Sometimes 
the  men  assist,  but  they  prefer  riding  about  the  country 
or  lying  idle  about  the  doors  of  their  cabins.  At  Reyk 
javik,  it  is  true,  there  is  a  population  of  Danish  sailors 
and  fishermen,  and  it  would  be  scarcely  fair  to  form  an 
opinion  from  the  lazy  and  thriftless  habits  of  the  people 
there.  But  I  think  the  civilization  of  Iceland  is  very 
much  like  that  of  Germany  in  respect  to  women.  They 
are  not  rated  very  high  in  the  scale  of  humanity.  Still, 
overworked  and  degraded  as  they  are,  the  natural  pro 
clivities  of  the  sex  are  not  altogether  obliterated.  In 
former  times  their  costume  was  picturesque  and  becom 
ing,  and  some  traces  of  the  old  style  are  yet  to  be  seen 
throughout  the  pastoral  districts  ;  a  close  body,  a  jaunty 
little  cap  on  the  head,  with  a  heavy  tassel,  ornamented 
with  gold  or  silver  bands,  silver  clasps  to  their  belts,  and 
filigree  buttons  down  the  front,  give  them  a  very  pleas 
ing  appearance.  Of  late  years,  however,  fashion  has  be 
gun  to  assert  her  sway,  even  in  this  isolated  part  of  the 
world,  and  the  native  costume  is  gradually  becoming 
modernized. 

The  pastor  having  joined  the  more  congenial  circle  of 
which  Zoega  was  the  admired  centre,  I  was  left  alone  in 
the  chilly  little  room  allotted  to  travelers  to  meditate 
upon  the  comforts  of  Icelandic  life.  It  was  rather  a 
gloomy  condition  of  affairs  to  be  wet  to  the  skin,  shiver 
ing  with  cold,  and  not  a  soul  at  hand  to  sympathize  with 
me  in  my  misery.  Then  the  everlasting  day — when 
would  it  end  ?  Already  I  had  been  awake  and  traveling 
some  fourteen  hours,  and  it  was  as  broad  daylight  as 
ever.  Nothing  could  be  more  wearying  than  the  ever 
lasting  daylight  that  surrounded  me — not  bright  and 
sunshiny,  but  dreary  and  lead-colored,  showing  scarcely 
any  perceptible  difference  between  morning,  noon,  and 
night. 


488  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

The  coffee  soon  came  to  my  relief,  and  the  pastor  fol 
lowed  it  to  wish  me  a  good  appetite  and  ask  if  I  wanted 
any  thing  else.  I  again  renewed  the  attempt  at  conver 
sation,  but  it  was  too  much  for  his  nervous  temperament 
and  shrinking  modesty.  He  always  managed,  after  a  few 
words,  to  slip  stealthily  away  up  into  the  loft  or  out 
among  the  rocks  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  intrusion, 
or  the  labor  of  understanding  what  I  said,  or  communi 
cating  his  ideas — I  could  not  tell  which. 

After  a  slight  repast  I  walked  out  to  take  a  look  at 
the  Logberg,  or  Rock  of  Laws,  which  is  situated  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  church.  This  is,  perhaps,  of  all  the 
objects  of  historical  association  in  Iceland,  the  most  in 
teresting.  It  was  here  the  judges  tried  criminals,  pro 
nounced  judgments,  and  executed  their  stern  decrees. 


SKELETON  VIEW  OF  THE  LOGUKRO. 


On  a  small  plateau  of  lava,  separated  from  the  general 
mass  by  a  profound  abyss  on  every  side,  save  a  narrow 
neck  barely  wide  enough  for  a  foothold,  the  famous 
"Thing"  assembled  once  a  year,  and,  secured  from  intru 
sion  in  their  deliberations  by  the  terrible  chasm  around, 
passed  laws  for  the  weal  or  woe  of  the  people.  It  was 
only  necessary  to  guard  the  causeway  by  which  they  en 
tered  ;  all  other  sides  were  well  protected  by  the  encir 
cling  moat,  which  varies  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  width, 
and  is  half  filled  with  water.  The  total  depth  to  the 


X  2 


490  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

bottom,  which  is  distinctly  visible  through  the  crystal 
pool,  must  be  sixty  or  seventy  feet.  Into  this  yawning 
abyss  the  unhappy  criminals  were  cast,  with  stones  around 
their  necks,  and  many  a  long  day  did  they  lie  beneath 
the  water,  a  ghastly  spectacle  for  the  crowd  that  peered 
at  them  over  the  precipice. 

All  was  now  as  silent  as  the  grave.  Eight  centuries 
had  passed,  and  yet  the  strange  scenes  that  had  taken 
place  here  were  vividly  before  me.  I  could  imagine  the 
gathering  crowds,  the  rising  hum  of  voices ;  the  pause, 
the  shriek,  and  plunge ;  the  low  murmur  of  horror,  and 
then  the  stern  warning  of  the  lawgivers  and  the  gradual 
dispersing  of  the  multitude. 

The  dimensions  of  the  plateau  are  four  or  five  hundred 
feet  in  length  by  an  average  of  sixty  or  eighty  in  width. 
A  diagram,  taken  from  an  elevated  point  beyond,  will 
give  some  idea  of  its  form.  The  surface  is  now  covered 
with  a  fine  coating  of  sod  and  grass,  and  furnishes  good 
pasturage  for  the  sheep  belonging  to  the  pastor. 


1HAGKAM    OK    THK 


CHAPTER  XLTX. 

THE    ROAD    TO    THE   GEYSERS. 

IT  was  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  I  reached  the  par 
sonage.  In  addition  to  my  rough  ride  from  Reykjavik, 
and  the  various  trying  adventures  on  the  way,  I  had 
walked  over  nearly  the  whole  range  of  the  Almannojau, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  491 

sketched  the  principal  points  of  interest,  visited  the  Log- 
berg,  and  made  some  sketches  and  diagrams  of  that,  be 
sides  accomplishing  a  considerable  amount  of  work  about 
the  premises  of  the  good  pastor,  all  of  which  is  now  sub 
mitted  to  the  kind  indulgence  of  the  reader.  Surely  if 
there  is  a  country  upon  earth  abounding  in  obstacles  to 
the  pursuit  of  the  fine  arts,  it  is  Iceland.  The  climate 
is  the  most  variable  in  existence — warm  and  cold,  wet 
and  dry  by  turns,  seldom  the  same  thing  for  half  a  day. 
Such,  at  least,  was  my  experience  in  June.  Wild  and 
desolate  scenery  there  is  in  abundance,  and  no  lack  of 
interesting  objects  any  where  for  the  pencil  of  an  artist ; 
but  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  the  amount  of  physical  dis 
comfort  that  must  be  endured  by  one  who  faithfully  ad 
heres  to  his  purpose.  Only  think  of  sitting  down  on  a 
jagged  piece  of  lava,  wet  to  the  skin  and  shivering  with 
cold ;  a  raw,  drizzling  rain  running  down  your  back  and 
dropping  from  the  brim  of  your  hat,  making  rivers  on 
your  paper  where  none  are  intended  to  be ;  hints  of 
rheumatism  shooting  through  your  bones,  and  visions 
of  a  solitary  grave  in  the  wilderness  crossing  your  mind  ; 
then,  of  a  sudden,  a  wind  that  scatters  your  papers  far 
and  wide,  and  sends  your  only  hat  whirling  into  an  abyss 
from  which  it  is  doubtful  whether  you  will  ever  recover 
it — think  of  these,  ye  summer  tourists  who  wander, 
sketch-book  in  hand,  through  the  "  warbling  woodland" 
and  along  "  the  resounding  shore,"  and  talk  about  being 
enterprising  followers  of  the  fine  arts !  Try  it  in  Iceland 
a  while,  and  see  how  long  your  inspiration  will  last! 
Take  my  word  for  it,  unless  you  be  terribly  in  earnest, 
you  will  postpone  your  labors  till  the  next  day,  and  then 
the  next,  and  so  on  to  the  day  that  never  comes. 

Not  the  least  of  my  troubles  was  the  difficulty  of  get 
ting  a  good  night's  rest  after  the  fatiguing  adventures 
of  the  day.  There  was  no  fault  to  be  found  with  the 
bed,  save  that  it  was  made  for  somebody  who  had  never 
attained  the  average  growth  of  an  American ;  and  one 
might  do  without  a  night-cap,  but  how  in  the  world 


492 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


could  any  body  be  expected  to  sleep  when  there  was  no 
night?  At  twelve  o'clock,  when  it  ought  to  be  mid 
night  and  the  ghosts  stirring  about,  I  looked  out,  and  it 
was  broad  day ;  at  half  past  one  I  looked  out  again,  and 
the  sun  was  shining ;  at  two  I  got  up  and  tried  to  read 
some  of  the  pastor's  books,  which  were  written  in  Ice 
landic,  and  therefore  not  very  entertaining ;  at  three  I 
went  to  work  and  finished  some  of  my  sketches ;  and  at 


AN    AKTIST    AT    HOME. 


four  I  gave  up  all  farther  hope  of  sleeping,  and  sallied 
forth  to  take  another  look  at  the  Almannajau. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  493 

On  my  return  Zoega  was  saddling  up  the  horses.  A 
cup  of  coffee  and  a  dry  biscuit  put  me  in  traveling  order, 
and  we  were  soon  on  our  way  up  the  valley. 

For  the  first  few  miles  we  followed  the  range  of  the 
"  Jau,"  from  which  we  then  diverged  across  the  great 
lava-beds  of  Thingvalla.  It  was  not  long  before  we  struck 
into  a  region  of  such  blasted  and  barren  aspect  that  the 
imagination  was  bewildered  with  the  dreary  desolation 
of  the  scene.  The  whole  country,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  was  torn  up  and  rent  to  pieces.  Great  masses  of 
lava  seemed  to  have  been  wrested  forcibly  from  the  orig 
inal  bed,  and  hurled  at  random  over  the  face  of  the 
country.  Prodigious  fissures  opened  on  every  side,  and 
for  miles  the  trail  wound  through  a  maze  of  sharp  points 
and  brittle  crusts  of  lava,  with  no  indication  of  the  course 
save  at  occasional  intervals  a  pile  of  stones  on  some  prom 
inent  point,  erected  by  the  peasants  as  a  way-mark  for 
travelers.  Sometimes  our  hardy  little  horses  climbed 
like  goats  up  the  rugged  sides  of  a  slope,  where  it  seem 
ed  utterly  impossible  to  find  a  foothold,  so  tortured  and 
chaotic  was  the  face  of  the  earth ;  and  not  unfrequently 
we  became  involved  in  a  labyrinth  of  fearful  sinks,  where 
the  upper  stratum  had  given  way  and  fallen  into  the 
yawning  depths  below.  Between  these  terrible  traps 
the  trail  was  often  not  over  a  few  feet  wide.  It  was  no 
pleasant  thing  to  contemplate  the  results  of  a  probable 
slip  or  a  misstep.  The  whole  country  bore  the  aspect 
of  baffled  rage — as  if  imbued  with  a  demoniac  spirit,  it 
had  received  a  crushing  stroke  from  the  Almighty  hand 
that  blasted  and  shivered  it  to  fragments. 

There  were  masses  that  looked  as  if  they  had  turned 
cold  while  running  in  a  fiery  flood  from  the  crater — 
wavy,  serrated,  frothy,  like  tar  congealed  or  stiffened  on 
a  flat  surface.  One  piece  that  I  sketched  was  of  the 
shape  of  a  large  leaf,  upon  which  all  the  fibres  were  mark 
ed.  It  measured  ten  feet  by  four.  Another  bore  a  re 
semblance  to  a  great  conch-shell.  Many  were  impressed 
with  the  roots  of  shrubs  and  the  images  of  various  sur- 


496  THE  LAND  OF  THOB. 

rounding  objects — snail-shells,  pebbles,  twigs,  and  the  like. 
On  a  larger  scale,  bubbling  brooks,  waterfalls,  and  whirl 
pools  were  represented — now  no  longer  a  burning  flood, 
but  stiff,  stark,  and  motionless.  One  sketch,  which  is  re 
produced,  bore  a  startling  resemblance  to  some  of  the 
marble  effigies  on  the  tombs  of  medieval  knights. 

The  distant  mountains  were  covered  with  their  per 
petual  mantles  of  snow.  Nearer,  on  the  verge  of  the  val 
ley,  were  the  red  peaks  of  the  foot-hills.  To  the  right 
lay  the  quiet  waters  of  the  lake  glistening  in  the  sun 
beams.  In  front,  a  great  black  fissure  stretched  from  the 
shores  of  the  lake  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  present 
ing  to  the  eye  an  impassable  barrier.  This  was  the  fa 
mous  Hrafnajau — the  uncouth  and  terrible  twin-brother 
of  the  Almannajau. 

A  toilsome  ride  of  eight  miles  brought  us  to  the  edge 
of  the  Pass,  W7hich  in  point  of  rugged  grandeur  far  sur 
passes  the  Almannajau,  though  it  lacks  the  extent  and 
symmetry  which  give  the  latter  such  a  remarkable  effect. 
Here  was  a  tremendous  gap  in  the  earth,  over  a  hundred 
feet  deep,  hacked  and  shivered  into  a  thousand  fantastic 
shapes ;  the  sides  a  succession  of  the  wildest  accidents ; 
the  bottom  a  chaos  of  broken  lava,  all  tossed  about  in 
the  most  terrific  confusion.  It  is  not,  however,  the  ex 
traordinary  desolation  of  the  scene  that  constitutes  its 
principal  interest.  The  resistless  power  whicli  had  rent 
the  great  lava-bed  asunder,  as  if  touched  with  pity  at  the 
ruin,  had  also  flung  from  the  tottering  cliffs  a  causeway 
across  the  gap,  which  now  forms  the  only  means  of  pass 
ing  over  the  great  Hrafnajau.  No  human  hands  could 
have  created  such  a  colossal  work  as  this ;  the  imagina 
tion  is  lost  in  its  massive  grandeur ;  and  when  we  re 
flect  that  miles  of  an  almost  impassable  country  would 
otherwise  have  to  be  traversed  in  order  to  reach  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  gap,  the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that 
in  the  battle  of  the  elements  Nature  still  had  a  kindly 
remembrance  of  man. 

Five  or  six  miles  beyond  the  IIrafnajau,near  the  sum- 


498  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

mit  of  a  dividing  ridge,  we  came  upon  a  very  singular 
volcanic  formation  called  the  Tintron.  It  stands,  a  little 
to  the  right  of  the  trail,  on  a  rise  of  scoria  and  burned 
earth,  from  which  it  juts  up  in  rugged  relief  to  the  height 
of  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  This  is,  strictly  speaking,  a 
huge  clinker  not  unlike  what  comes  out  of  a  grate — hard, 
glassy  in  spots,  and  scraggy  all  over.  The  top  part  is 
shaped  like  a  shell ;  in  the  centre  is  a  hole  about  three 
feet  in  diameter,  which  opens  into  a  vast  subterranean 
cavity  of  unknown  depth.  Whether  the  Tintron  is  an 
extinct  crater,  through  which  fires  shot  out  of  the  earth 
in  by-gone  times,  or  an  isolated  mass  of  lava,  whirled 
through  the  air  out  of  some  distant  volcano,  is  a  question 
that  geologists  must  determine.  The  probability  is  that 
it  is  one  of  those  natural  curiosities  so  common  in  Ice 
land  ivhich  defy  research.  The  whole  country  is  full  of 
anomalies — bogs  where  one  would  expect  to  find  dry 
land,  and  parched  deserts  where  it  would  not  seem 
strange  to  see  bogs ;  fire  where  water  ought  to  be,  and 
water  in  the  place  of  fire. 

While  the  pack-train  followed  the  trail,  Zoega  suggest 
ed  that  the  Tintron  had  never  been  sketched,  and  if  I  felt 
disposed  to  "take  it  down" — as  he  expressed  it — he 
would  wait  for  me  in  the  valley  below ;  so  I  took  it  down. 

During  this  day's  journey  we  crossed  many  small  riv 
ers  which  had  been  much  swollen  by  the  recent  rains. 
The  fording-places,  however,  were  generally  good,  and 
we  got  over  them  without  being  obliged  to  swim  our 
horses.  One  river,  the  Bruara,  gave  me  some  uneasiness. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  banks  it  presented  a  very  form 
idable  obstacle.  At  the  only  place  where  it  was  practi 
cable  to  reach  the  water  it  was  a  raging  torrent  over 
fifty  yards  wide,  dashing  furiously  over  a  bed  of  lava 
with  a  velocity  and  volume  that  bade  apparent  defiance 
to  any  attempt  at  crossing.  In  the  middle  was  a  great 
fissure  running  parallel  with  the  course  of  the  water,  into 
which  the  current  converged  from  each  side,  forming  a 
series  of  cataracts  that  shook  the  earth,  and  made  a  loud 
reverberation  from  the  depths  below. 


500  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

I  stopped  on  an  elevated  bank  to  survey  the  route  be 
fore  us.  There  seemed  to  be  no  possible  way  of  getting 
over.  It  was  all  a  wild  roaring  flood  plunging  madly 
down  among  the  rocks.  While  I  was  thinking  what 
was  to  be  done,  Zoega,  with  a  crack  of  his  whip,  drove 
the  animals  into  the  water  and  made  a  bold  dash  after 
them.  It  then  occurred  to  me  that  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  prudence  in  the  advice  given  by  an  Icelandic  trav 
eler  :  "  Never  go  into  a  river  till  your  guide  has  tried  it" 
Should  Zoega  be  swept  down  over  the  cataract,  as  ap 
peared  quite  probable,  there  would  be  no  necessity  for 
me  to  follow  him.  I  had  a  genuine  regard  for  the  poor 
fellow,  and  it  would  pain  me  greatly  to  lose  him ;  but 
then  he  was  paid  .so  much  per  day  for  risking  his  life,  and 
how  could  I  help  it  if  he  chose  to  pursue  such  a  perilous 
career?  Doubtless  he  had  come  near  being  drowned 
many  a  time  before ;  he  seemed  to  be  used  to  it.  All  I 
could  do  for  him  in  the  present  instance  would  be  to 
break  the  melancholy  intelligence  to  his  wife  as  tenderly 
as  possible.  While  thus  philosophizing,  Zoega  plunged 
in  deeper  and  deeper  till  he  was  surrounded  by  the  raging 
torrent  on  the  very  verge  of  the  great,  fissure.  Was  it 
possible  he  was  going  to  force  his  horse  into  it  ?  Surely 
the  man  must  be  crazy. 

"  Stop,  Zoega !  stop !"  I  shouted,  at  the  top  of  my  voice ; 
"  you'll  be  swept  over  the  precipice.  There's  a  greatx 
gap  in  the  river  just  before  you." 

"  All  right,  sir !"  cried  Zoega.     "  Come  on,  sir !" 

Again  and  again  I  called  to  him  to  stop,  but  he  seemed 
to  lose  my  voice  in  the  roar  of  the  falling  waters.  Dash 
ing  about  after  the  scattered  animals,  he  whipped  them 
all  up  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice,  and  then  quietly  walk 
ed  his  own  horse  across  on  what  looked  to  me  like  a 
streak  of  foam.  The  others  followed,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  they  all  stood  safely  on  the  opposite  bank.  I  thought 
this  was  very  strange.  A  remote  suspicion  flashed  across 
my  mind  that  Zoega  was  in  league  with  some  of  those 
water-spirits  which  are  said  to  infest  the  rivers  of  Ice- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  501 

land.  Wondering  what  they  would  say  to  a  live  Cali- 
fornian,  I  plunged  in  and  followed  the  route  taken  by  my 
guide.  Upon  approaching  the  middle  of  the  river  I  dis 
covered  that  what  appeared  to  be  a  streak  of  foam  was 
in  reality  a  wooden  platform  stretched  across  the  chasm 
and  covered  by  a  thin  sheet  of  water.  It  was  pinned 
down  to  the  rocks  at  each  end,  and  was  well  braced  with 
rafters  underneath.  From  this  the  river  derives  its  name 
— Bruara,  or  the  Bridge. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  country  differed  but  little 
from  what  I  have  already  attempted  to  describe.  Vast 
deserts  of  lava,  snow-capped  mountains  in  the  distance, 
a  few  green  spots  here  and  there,  and  no  apparent  sign 
of  habitation — these  were  its  principal  features.  Below 
the  falls  the  scene  was  peculiarly  wild  and  characteristic. 
Tremendous  masses  of  lava  cast  at  random  amid  the  roar 
ing  waters;  great  fissures  splitting  .the  earth  asunder  in 
all  directions ;  every  where  marks  of  violent  convulsion. 
In  the  following  sketch  I  have  endeavored  to  depict  some 
of  these  salient  points.  When  it  is  taken  into  considera 
tion  that  the  wind  blew  like  a  hurricane  through  the 
craggy  ravines ;  that  the  rain  and  spray  whirled  over,  and 
under,  and  almost  through  me ;  that  it  was  difficult  to 
stand  on  any  elevated  spot  without  danger  of  being  blown 
over,  I  hope  some  allowance  will  be  made  for  the  imper 
fections  of  the  performance. 

About  midway  between  Thingvalla  and  the  Geysers 
we  descended  into  a  beautiful  little  valley,  covered  with 
a  fine  growth  of  grass,  where  we  stopped  to  change 
horses  and  refresh  ourselves  .with  a  lunch.  While  Zoega 
busied  himself  arranging  the  packs  and  saddles,  our  in 
defatigable  little  dog  Brusa  availed  himself  of  the  oppor 
tunity  to  give  chase  to  a  flock  of  sheep.  Zoega  shouted 
at  him  as  usual,  and  as  usual  Brusa  only  barked  the  loud 
er  and  ran  the  faster.  The  sheep  scattered  over  the  val 
ley,  Brusa  pursuing  all  the  loose  members  of  the  flock 
with  a  degree  of  energy  and  enthusiasm  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  a  better  cause.  Upon  the  lambs  he  was 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  503 

particularly  severe.  Many  of  them  must  have  been  stunt 
ed  in  their  growth  for  life  by  the  fright  they  received ; 
and  it  was  not  until  he  had  tumbled  half  a  dozen  of  them 
heels  over  head,  and  totally  dispersed  the  remainder, 
that  he  saw  fit  to  return  to  head-quarters.  The  excite 
ment  once  over,  he  of  course  began  to  consider  the  con 
sequences,  and  I  must  say  he  looked  as  mean  as  it  was 
possible  for  an  intelligent  dog  to  look.  Zoega  took  him 
by  the  nape  of  the  neck  with  a  relentless  hand,  and  heav 
ing  a  profound  sigh,  addressed  a  pathetic  remonstrance 
to  him  in  the  Icelandic  language,  giving  it  weight  and 
emphasis  by  a  sharp  cut  of  his  whip  after  every  sentence. 
This  solemn  duty  performed  to  his  satisfaction,  and  great 
ly  to  Brusa's  satisfaction  when  it  was  over,  we  mounted 
our  horses  once  more  and  proceeded  on  our  journey. 

A  considerable  portion  of  this  day's  ride  was  over  a 
rolling  country,  somewhat  resembling  the  foot-hills  in 
certain  parts  of  California.  On  the  right  was  an  exten 
sive  plain,  generally  barren,  but  showing  occasional  green 
patches;  and  on  the  left  a  rugged  range  of  mountains, 
not  very  high,  but  strongly  marked  by  volcanic  signs. 
We  passed  several  lonely  little  huts,  the  occupants  of 
which  rarely  made  their  appearance.  Sheep,  goats,  and 
sometimes  horses,  dotted  the  pasture-lands.  There  was 
not  much  vegetation  of  any  kind  save  patches  of  grass 
and  brushwood.  A  species  of  white  moss  covered  the 
rocks  in  places,  presenting  the  appearance  of  hoar-frost 
at  a  short  distance. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE    GEYSERS. 

UPON  turning  the  point  of  a  hill  where  our  trail  was 
a  little  elevated  above  the  great  valley,  Zoega  called  my 
attention  to  a  column  of  vapor  that  seemed  to  rise  out 
of  the  ground  about  ten  miles  distant.  For  all  I  could 
judge,  it  was  smoke  from  some  settler's  cabin  situated 
in  a  hollow  of  the  slope. 


504  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

"  What's  that,  Zoega?"  I  asked. 

"That's  the  Geysers,  sir,"  he  replied,  as  coolly  as  if  it 
were  the  commonest  thing  in  the  world  to  see  the  famous 
Geysers  of  Iceland. 

"  The  Geysers !     That  little  thing  the  Geysers  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Dear  me!  who  would  ever  have  thought  it?" 

I  may  as  well  confess  at  once  that  I  was  sadly  disap 
pointed.  It  was  a  pleasure,  of  course,  to  see  what  I  had 
read  of  and  pictured  to  my  mind  from  early  boyhood ; 
but  this  contemptible  little  aifair  looked  very  much  like 
a  humbug.  A  vague  idea  had  taken  possession  of  my 
mind  that  I  would  see  a  whole  district  of  country  shoot 
ing  up  hot  wrater  and  sulphurous  vapors — a  kind  of  hell 
upon  earth ;  but  that  thing  ahead  of  us — that  little  curl 
of  smoke  on  the  horizon  looked  so  peaceful,  so  inadequate 
a  result  of  great  subterranean  fires,  that  I  could  not  but 
feel  some  resentment  toward  the  travelers  who  had  pre 
ceded  me,  and  whose  glowing  accounts  of  the  Geysers 
had  deceived  me.  At  this  point  of  view  it  was  not  at 
all  equal  to  the  Geysers  of  California.  I  had  a  distinct 
recollection  of  the  great  canon  between  Russian  River 
Valley  and  Clear  Lake,  the  magnificent  hills  on  the  route, 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  infernal  scene  far  down  in  the  bed 
of  the  canon,  the  boiling,  hissing  waters,  and  clouds  of 
vapor  whirling  up  among  the  rocks,  the  towering  crags 
on  the  opposite  side,  and  the  noble  forests  of  oak  and 
pine  that  spread  "a  boundless  contiguity  of  shade"  over 
the  wearied  traveler,  and  I  must  say  a  patriotic  pride 
took  possession  of  my  soul.  We  had  beaten  the  world 
in  the  production  of  gold;  our  fruits  were  finer  and  our 
vegetables  larger  than  any  ever  produced  in  other  coun 
tries  ;  our  men  taller  and  stronger,  our  women  prettier 
and  more  prolific,  our  lawsuits  more  extensive,  our  fights 
the  best  ever  gotten  up,  our  towns  the  most  rapidly  built 
and  rapidly  burned — in  short,  every  thing  was  on  a  grand, 
wide,  broad,  tall,  fast,  overwhelming  scale,  that  bid  defi 
ance  to  competition,  and  now  I  was  satisfied  we  could 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  505 

even  beat  old  Iceland  in  the  matters  of  Geysers.  I  really 
felt  a  contempt  for  that  little  streak  of  smoke.  Perhaps 
something  in  the  expression  of  my  eye  may  have  betray 
ed  my  thoughts,  for  Zoega,  as  if  he  felt  a  natural  pride 
in  the  wonders  of  Iceland  and  wished  them  to  be  proper 
ly  appreciated,  hastily  added,  "But  you  must  not  judge 
of  the  Geysers  by  what  you  now  see,  sir!  That  is  only 
the  little  Geyser.  He  don't  blow  up  much.  The  others 
are  behind  the  first  rise  of  ground." 

"  That  may  be,  Zoega.  I  have  no  doubt  they  are  very 
fine,  but  it  is  not  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that 
they  should  equal  the  Geysers  of  California." 

"  Indeed,  sir !     I  didn't  know  you  had  Geysers  there." 

"  Didn't  know  it !  Never  heard  of  the  Geysers  of 
California?" 

"  Never,  sir." 

"  Well,  Zoega,  that  is  remarkable.  Our  Geysers  are 
the  finest,  the  bitterest,  the  smokiest,  the  noisest,  the 
most  infernal  in  the  world ;  and  as  for  mountains,  our 
Shasta  Bute  would  knock  your  Mount  Hecla  into  a  cock 
ed  hat !" 

"  Is  it  possible !" 

"  Of  course  it  is." 

"And  have  you  great  lava-beds  covering  whole  valleys 
as  we  have  here  ?" 

"  Certainly — only  they  are  made  of  gold.  We  call 
them  Placers — Gold  Placers." 

"  A  wonderful  country,  sir !" 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  there,  Zoega  ?" 

"  No,  sir ;  I'd  rather  stay  here." 

And  so  we  talked,  Zoega  and  I,  as  we  jogged  along 
pleasantly  on  our  way.  Our  ride,  after  we  caught  the 
first  sight  of  the  smoke,  continued  for  some  two  hours 
over  a  series  of  low  hills,  with  little  green  valleys  lying 
between,  till  we  came  to  an  extensive  bog  that  skirts  the 
base  of  the  Langarfjal,  a  volcanic  bluff  forming  the  back 
ground  of  the  Geysers.  It  was  now  becoming  interest 
ing.  Half  an  hour  more  would  settle  the  matter  conclu- 

Y 


506 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


sively  between  California  and  Iceland.  Crossing  the  bog 
Avhere  it  was  not  very  wet,  we  soon  came  to  a  group  of 
huts  at  the  turning-point  of  the  hill,  where  we  were  met 


BUKI'IIEKD   AND   FAMILY. 


by  a  shepherd  and  his  family.  All  turned  out,  big  and 
little,  to  see  the  strangers.  The  man  and  his  wife  were 
fair  specimens  of  Icelandic  peasantry — broad-faced,  blue- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  507 

eyed,  and  good-natured,  with  yellowish  hair,  and  a  sort 
of  mixed  costume,  between  the  civilized  and  the  barbar 
ous.  The  children,  of  which  there  must  have  been  over 
a  dozen,  were  of  the  usual  cotton-head  species  found  in 
all  Northern  countries,  and  wore  any  thing  apparently 
they  could  get,  from  the  cast-off  rags  of  their  parents  to 
sheepskins  and  raw  hide.  .Nothing  could  surpass  the 
friendly  interest  of  the  old  shepherd.  lie  asked  Zoega 
a  thousand  questions  about  the  "  gentleman,"  and  begged 
that  we  would  dismount  and  do  him  the  honor  to  take  a 
cup  of  coffee,  which  his  wife  would  prepare  for  us  in  five 
minutes.  Knowing  by  experience  that  five  minutes  in 
Iceland  means  any  time  within  five  hours,  I  was  reluct 
antly  obliged  to  decline  the  invitation.  The  poor  fellow 
seemed  much  disappointed,  and  evidently  was  sincere  in 
his  offers  of  hospitality.  To  compromise  the  matter,  we 
borrowed  a  spade  from  him,  and  requested  him  to  send 
some  milk  down  to  our  camp  as  soon  as  the  cows  were 
milked. 

Although  these  worthy  people  lived  not  over  half  a 
mile  from  the  Geysers,  they  could  not  tell  us  when  the 
last  eruption  had  taken  place — a  most  important  thing 
for  us  to  know,  as  the  success  of  the  trip  depended  al 
most  entirely  upon  the  length  of  time  which  had  elapsed 
since  that  event.  The  man  said  he  never  took  notice  of 
the  eruptions.  He  saw  the  water  shooting  up  every  few 
days,  but  paid  no  particular  attention  to  it.  There  might 
have  been  an  eruption  yesterday,  or  this  morning,  for  all 
he  knew;  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  say  positively. 
"  In  truth,  good  friend,"  said  he  to  Zoega,  "  my  head  is 
filled  with  sheep,  and  they  give  me  trouble  enough."  It 
was  evidently  filled  with  something,  for  he  kept  scratch 
ing  it  all  the  time  he  was  talking. 

Many  travelers  have  been  compelled  to  wait  a  week 
for  an  eruption  of  the  Great  Geyser,  though  the  interval 
between  the  eruptions  is  not  usually  more  than  three 
days.  A  good  deal  depends  upon  the  previous  state  of 
the  weather,  whether  it  has  been  wet  or  dry.  Sometimes 


508  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

the  eruptions  take  place  within  twenty-four  hours,  but 
not  often.  The  Great  Geyser  is  a  very  capricious  old 
gentleman,  take  him  as  you  will.  He  goes  up  or  keeps 
quiet  just  to  suit  himself,  and  will  not  put  himself  the 
least  out  of  the  way  to  oblige  any  body.  Even  the  Prince 
Napoleon,  who  visited  this  region  a  few  years  ago,  spent 
two  days  trying  to  coax  the  grumbling  old  fellow  to  fa 
vor  him  with  a  performance,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  The 
prince  was  no  more  to  a  Great  Geyser  than  the  common 
est  shepherd— not  so  much,  in  fact,  for  his  finest  displays 
are  said  to  be  made  when  nobody  but  some  poor  shep 
herd  of  the  neighborhood  is  about.  In  former  times  the 
eruptions  were  much  more  frequent  than  they  are  now, 
occurring  at  least  every  six  hours,  and  often  at  periods 
of  only  three  or  four.  Gradually  they  have  been  dimin 
ishing  in  force  and  frequency,  and  it  is  not  improbable 
they  will  cease  altogether  before  the  lapse  of  another 
century.  According  to  the  measurements  given  by  vari 
ous  travelers,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  Hen 
derson,  Sir  George  Mackenzie,  Forbes,  Metcalfe,  and  Lord 
Duiferin,  the  height  to  which  the  water  is  ejected  varies 
from  eighty  to  two  hundred  feet.  It  is  stated  that  these 
Geysers  did  not  exist  prior  to  the  fifteenth  century ;  and 
one  eruption — that  of  1772 — is  estimated  by  Olsen  and 
Paulsen  to  have  reached  the  extraordinary  height  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  feet.  All  these  measurements  appear 
to  me  to  be  exaggerated. 

Ascending  a  slope  of  dry  incrusted  earth  of  a  red  and 
yellowish  color,  we  first  came  upon  the  Little  Geyser,  a 
small  orifice  in  the  ground,  from  which  a  column  of  steam 
arose.  A  bubbling  sound  as  of  boiling  water  issued  from 
the  depths  below,  but  otherwise  it  presented  no  remark 
able  phenomena.  In  a  few  minutes  more  we  stood  in 
the  middle  of  a  sloping  plateau  of  some  half  a  mile  in  cir 
cuit,  which  declines  into  an  extensive  valley  on  the  right. 
Within  the  limits  of  this  area  there  are  some  forty  springs 
and  fissures  which  emit  hot  water  and  vapors.  None  of 
them  are  of  any  considerable  size,  except  the  Great  Gey- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  509 

ser,  the  Strokhr,  and  the  Little  Geyser.  The  earth  seems 
to  be  a  mere  crust  of  sulphurous  deposits,  and  burnt  clay, 
and  rotten  trap-rock,  and  is  destitute  of  vegetation  ex 
cept  in  a  few  spots,  where  patches  of  grass  and  moss  pre 
sent  a  beautiful  contrast  to  the  surrounding  barrenness. 
In  its  quiescent  state  the  scene 'was  not  so  striking  as  I 
had  expected,  though  the  whirling  volumes  of  smoke 
that  filled  the  air,  and  the  strange  sounds  that  issued 
from  the  ground  in  every  direction,  filled  my  mind  with 
strong  premonitions  of  what  might  take  place  at  any 
moment.  I  did  not  yet  relinquish  my  views  in  reference 
to  the  superiority  of  the  California  Geysers ;  still,  I  be 
gan  to  feel  some  misgiving  about  it  when  I  looked  around 
and  saw  the  vastness  of  the  scale  upon  which  the  fixtures 
were  arranged  here  for  hydraulic  entertainments.  If  we 
could  beat  Iceland  in  the  beauty  of  our  scenery,  it  was 
quite  apparent  that  the  advantage  lay  here  in  the  breadth 
and  extent  of  the  surrounding  desolation — the  great  lava- 
fields,  the  snow-capped  Jokuls,  and  the  distant  peaks  of 
Mount  Hecla. 

We  rode  directly  toward  the  Great  Geyser,  which  we 
approached  within  about  fifty  yards.  Here  was  the 
camping-ground — a  pleasant  little  patch  of  green  sod, 
where  the  various  travelers  who  had  preceded  us  had 
pitched  their  tents.  Zoega  knew  every  spot.  He  had 
accompanied  most  of  the  distinguished  gentlemen  who 
had  honored  the  place  with  their  presence,  and  had  some 
thing  to  say  in  his  grave,  simple  way  about  each  of  them. 
Here  stood  Lord  Dufferin's  tent.  A  lively  young  gen 
tleman  he  was ;  a  very  nice  young  man ;  told  some  queer 
stories  about  the  Icelanders;  didn't  see  much  of  the 
country,  but  made  a  very  nice  book  about  what  he  saw ; 
had  a  great  time  at  the  governor's,  and  drank  every  body 
drunk  under  the  table,  etc.  Here,  close  by,  the  Prince 
Napoleon  pitched  his  tent — a  large  tent,  very  handsome 
ly  decorated  ;  room  for  all  his  officers ;  very  fine  gentle 
man  the  prince ;  had  lots  of  money ;  drank  plenty  of 
Champagne ;  a  fat  gentleman,  not  very  tall ;  had  black- 


510  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ish  hair,  and  talked  French ;  didn't  see  the  Great  Geyser 
go  up,  but  saw  the  Strokhr,  etc.  Here  was  Mr.  Met 
calfe' s  tent;  a  queer  gentleman,  Mr.  Metcalfe ;  rather 
rough  in  his  dress;  wrote  a  funny  book  about  Iceland; 
told  some  hard  things  on  the  priests ;  they  didn't  like  it 
at  all ;  didn't  know  what  to  make  of  Mr.  Metcalfe,  etc. 
Here  was  Mr.  Chambers's  camp — a  Scotch  gentleman ; 
very  nice  man,  plain  and  sensible ;  wrote  a  pamphlet,  etc. 
And  here  was  an  old  tent-mark,  almost  rubbed  out, 
where  an  American  gentleman  camped  about  ten  years 
ago ;  thought  his  name  was  Mr.  Miles.  This  traveler 
also  wrote  a  book,  and  told  some  funny  stories. 

"  Was  it  Pliny  Miles?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  that  was  his  name.  I  was  with  him  all  the 
time." 

"Have  you  his  book?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  have  his  book  at  home.  A  very  queer 
gentleman,  Mr.  Miles ;  saw  a  great  many  things  that  I 
didn't  see;  says  he  came  near  getting  drowned  in  a  riv 
er." 

"And  didn't  he?" 

"  Well,  sir,  I  don't  know.  I  didn't  see  him  when  he 
was  near  being  drowned.  You  crossed  the  river,  sir, 
yourself,  and  know  whether  it  is  dangerous." 

"Was  it  the  Bruard ?" 

"  No,  sir ;  one  of  the  other  little  rivers,  about  knee- 
deep." 

Here  was  food  for  reflection.  Zoega,  with  his  matter- 
of-fact  eyes,  evidently  saw  things  in  an  entirely  different 
light  from  that  in  which  they  presented  themselves  to 
the  enthusiastic  tourists  who  accompanied  him.  Per 
haps  he  would  some  time  or  other  be  pointing  out  my 
tent  to  some  inquisitive  visitor,  and  giving  him  a  run 
ning  criticism  upon  my  journal  of  experiences  in  Iceland. 
I  deemed  it  judicious,  therefore,  to  explain  to  him  that 
gentlemen  who  traveled  all  the  way  to  Iceland  were 
bound  to  see  something  and  meet  with  some  thrilling  ad 
vent  ures.  If  they  didn't  tell  of  very  remarkable  things, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  511 

nobody  would  care  about  reading  their  books.  This  was 
the  great  art  of  travel ;  it  was  not  exactly  lying,  but  put 
ting  on  colors  to  give  the  picture  effect. 

"  For  my  part,  Zoega,"  said  I,  "  having  no  great  skill 
as  an  artist,  and  being  a  very  plain,  unimaginative  man, 
as  you  know,  I  shall  confine  myself  strictly  to  facts.  Per 
haps  there  will  be  novelty  enough  in  telling  the  truth  to 
attract  attention." 

"  The  truth  is  always  the  best,  sir,"  replied  Zoega, 
gravely  and  piously. 

"  Of  course  it  is,  Zoega.  This  country  is  sufficiently 
curious  in  itself.  It  does  not  require  the  aid  of  fiction 
to  give  it  effect.  Therefore,  should  you  come  across  any 
thing  in  my  narrative  which  may  have  escaped  your  no 
tice,  depend  upon  it  I  thought  it  was  true — or  ought  to 
be." 

"Yes,  sir;  I  know  you  would  never  lie  like  some  of 
these  gentlemen." 

"  Never !  never,  Zoega !  I  scorn  a  lying  traveler  above 
all  things  on  earth." 

But  these  digressions,  however  amusing  they  were 
at  the  time,  can  scarcely  be  of  much  interest  to  the  read 
er. 

Even  after  the  lapse  of  several  years  the  marks  around 
the  camping-ground  were  quite  fresh.  The  sod  is  of  very 
fine  texture,  and  the  grass  never  grows  very  rank,  so 
that  wherever  a  trench  is  cut  to  let  off"  the  rain,  it  re 
mains,  with  very  little  alteration,  for  a  great  length  of 
time. 

On  the  principle  that  a  sovereign  of  the  United  States 
ought  never  to  rank  himself  below  a  prince  of  any  other 
country,  I  selected  a  spot  a  little  above  the  camping- 
ground  of  his  excellency  the  Prince  Napoleon.  By  the 
aid  of  my  guide  I  soon  had  the  tent  pitched.  It  was  a 
small  affair — only  an  upright  pole,  a  few  yards  of  canvas, 
and  four  wooden  pins.  The  whole  concern  did  not  weigh 
twenty  pounds,  and  only  covered  an  area  of  ground  about 
four  feet  by  six.  Zoega  then  took  the  horses  to  a  pas- 


512  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ture  up  the  valley.  I  amused  myself  making  a  few  sketch 
es  of  the  surrounding  objects,  and  thinking  how  strange 
it  was  to  be  here  all  alone  at  the  Geysers  of  Iceland. 
How  many  of  my  friends  knew  where  I  was  ?  Not  one, 
perhaps.  And  should  all  the  Geysers  blow  up  together 
and  boil  me  on  the  spot,  what  would  people  generally 
think  of  it  ?  Or  suppose  the  ground  wTere  to  give  way 
and  swallow  me  up,  what  difference  would  it  make  in  the 
price  of  consols  or  the  temperature  of  the  ocean  ? 

When  Zoega  came  back,  he  said,  if  I  pleased,  we  would 
now  go  to  work  and  cut  sods  for  the  Strokhr.  It  was 
a  favorable  time  "to  see  him  heave  up."  The  way  to 
make  him  do  that  was  to  make  him  sick.  Sods  always 
made  him  sick.  They  didn't  agree  with  his  stomach. 
Every  gentleman  who  came  here  made  it  a  point  to  stir 
him  up.  He  was  called  the  Strokhr  because  he  churned 
things  that  were  thrown  down  his  throat ;  and  Strokhr 
means  churn.  I  was  very  anxious  to  see  the  perform 
ance  suggested  by  Zoega,  and  readily  consented  to  as 
sist  him  in  getting  the  sods. 

The  Strokhr  lay  about  a  hundred  yards  from  our  tent, 
nearly  in  a  line  between  the  Great  and  Little  Geysers. 
Externally  it  presents  no  very  remarkable  feature,  being 
nothing  more  than  a  hole  in  the  bed  of  rocks,  about  five 
feet  in  diameter,  and  slightly  funnel-shaped  at  the  orifice. 
Standing  upon  the  edge,  one  can  see  the  water  boiling 
up  and  whirling  over  about  twenty  feet  below.  A  hol 
low,  growling  noise  is  heard,  varied  by  an  occasional  hiss 
and  rush,  as  if  the  contents  were  struggling  to  get  out. 
It  emits  hot  vapors,  and  has  a  slight  smell  of  sulphur ; 
otherwise  it  maintains  rather  a  peaceful  aspect,  consider 
ing  the  infernal  temper  it  gets  into  when  disturbed. 

Zoega  and  I  worked  hard  cutting  and  carrying  the 
sods  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  by  which  time  we  had  a 
large  pile  on  the  edge  of  the  orifice.  Zoega  said  there 
was  enough.  I  insisted  on  getting  more.  "  Let  us  give 
him  a  dose  that  lie  won't  forget."  "  Oh,  sir,  nobody  ever 
puts  more  than  that  in ;  it  is  quite  enough."  "  No ;  I 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  513 

mean  to  make  him  deadly  sick.  Come  on,  Zoega."  And 
at  it  we  went  again,  cutting  the  sod,  and  carrying  it  over 
and  piling  it  up  in  a  great  heap  by  the  hole.  When  we 
had  about  a  ton  all  ready,  I  said  to  Zoega,  "  Now,  Zoega, 
fire  away,  and  I'll  stand  here  and  see  how  it  works." 
Then  Zoega  pushed  it  all  over,  and  it  went  slapping  and 
dashing  down  into  the  steaming  shaft.  For  a  little  while 
it  whirled  about,  and  surged,  and  boiled,  and  tumbled 
over  and  over  in  the  depths  of  the  churn  with  a  hollow, 
swashing  noise  terribly  ominous  of  what  was  to  come. 
I  peeped  over  the  edge  to  try  if  I  could  detect  the  first 
symptoms  of  the  approaching  eruption.  Zoega  walked 
quietly  away  about  twenty  steps,  saying  he  preferred  not 
to  be  too  close.  There  was  a  sudden  growl  and  a  rum 
ble,  a  terrible  plunging  about  and  swashing  of  the  sods 
below,  and  fierce,  whirling  clouds  of  steam  flew  up,  al 
most  blinding  me  as  they  passed. 

"Sir,"  said  Zoega,  gravely,  "you  had  better  stand 
away.  It  comes  up  very  suddenly  when  it  once  starts." 

"Don't  be  afraid,  Zoega ;  I'll  keep  a  sharp  look-out 
for  it.  You  may  depend  there's  not  a  Geyser  in  Iceland 
can  catch  me  when  I  make  a  break." 

"  Very  well,  sir ;  but  I'd  advise  you  to  be  careful." 

Notwithstanding  this  good  counsel,  I  could  not  resist 
the  fascination  of  looking  in.  There  was  another  tre 
mendous  commotion  going  on — a  roar,  a  whirling  over 
of  the  sods,  and  clouds  of  steam  flying  up.  This  time  I 
ran  back  a  few  steps.  But  it  was  a  false  alarm.  Noth 
ing  came  of  it.  The  heaving  mass  seemed  to  be  produ 
cing  the  desired  effect,  however.  The  Strokhr  was  evi 
dently  getting  very  sick.  I  looked  over  once  more.  All 
below  was  a  rumbling,  tumbling  black  mass,  dashing  over 
and  over  against  the  sides  of  the  churn.  Soon  a  threat 
ening  roar  not  to  be  mistaken  startled  me.  " Look  out, 
sir  !"  shouted  Zoega ;  "  look  out !"  Unlike  the  French 
man  who  looked  out  when  he  should  have  looked  in,  I 
unconsciously  looked  in  when  I  should  have  looked  out. 
With  a  suddenness  that  astonished  me,  up  shot  the  seeth- 
Y2 


514  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ing  mass  almost  in  my  face.  One  galvanic  jump — an  in 
voluntary  shout  of  triumph — and  I  was  rolling  heels  over 
head  on  the  crust  of  earth  about  ten  feet  off,  the  hot  wa 
ter  and  clumps  of  sod  tumbling  down  about  me  in  every 
direction.  Another  scramble  brought  me  to  my  feet,  of 
which  I  made  such  good  use  that  I  was  forty  yards  be 
yond  Zoega  before  I  knew  distinctly  what  had  happened. 
The  poor  fellow  came  running  toward  me  in  great  con 
sternation. 

"Are  you  hurt,  sir?  I  hope  you're  not  hurt!"  he 
cried,  in  accents  of  great  concern. 

"  Hurt !"  I  answered.  "  Didn't  you  see  me  rolling 
over  on  the  ground  laughing  at  it  ?  Why,  Zoega,  I  nev 
er  saw  any  thing  so  absurd  a's  that  in  my  life ;  any  de 
cent  Geyser  would  have  given  at  least  an  hour's  notice. 
This  miserable  little  wretch  went  off  half  cocked.  I  was 
just  laughing  to  think  how  sick  we  made  him  all  of  a 
sudden !" 

"  Oh,  that  was  it,  sir !  I  thought  you  were  badly 
hurt." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  You  never  saw  a  man  who  had  suf 
fered  serious  bodily  injury  run  and  jump  with  joy,  and 
roll  with  laughter  as  I  did." 

"  No,  sir,  never,  now  that  I  come  to  think  of  it." 

Somehow  it  was  always  pleasant  to  talk  with  Zoega, 
his  simplicity  was  so  refreshing. 

The  display  was  really  magnificent.  An  immense  dark 
column  shot  into  the  air  to  the  height  of  sixty  or  seventy 
feet,  composed  of  innumerable  jets  of  water  and  whirling 
masses  of  sod.  It  resembled  a  thousand  fountains  joined 
together,  each  with  a  separate  source  of  expulsion.  The 
hissing  hot  water,  blackened  by  the  boiled  clay  and  turf, 
spurted  up  in  countless  revolving  circlets,  spreading  out 
in  every  direction  and  falling  in  torrents  over  the  earth, 
which  was  deluged  for  fifty  feet  around  with  the  dark, 
steaming  flood.  This,  again  sweeping  into  the  mouth 
of  the  funnel,  fell  in  thick  streams  into  the  churn,  carry 
ing  with  it  the  sods  that  were  scattered  within  its  vor- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  515 

tex,  and  once  more  heaved  and  surged  about  in  the  huge 
caldron  below. 

The  eruption  continued  for  about  five  minutes  with 
out  any  apparent  diminution  of  force.  It  then  subsided 
into  fitful  and  convulsive  jets,  as  if  making  a  last  effort, 
and  finally  disappeared  with  a  deep  growl  of  disappoint 
ment.  All  was  now  quiet  save  the  gurgling  of  the 
murky  water  as  it  sought  its  way  back.  Zoega  said  it 
was  not  done  yet — that  this  was  only  a  beginning.  I 
took  my  sketch-book  and  resolved  to  seize  the  next  op 
portunity  for  a  good  view  of  the  eruption,  taking,  in  the 
mean  time,  a  general  outline  of  the  locality,  including  a 
glimpse  of  the  Langarfjal.  Just  as  I  had  finished  up  to 
the  orifice  the  same  angry  roar  which  had  first  startled 
me  was  repeated,  and  up  shot  the  dark,  boiling  flood  in 
grander  style  than  ever.  This  time  it  was  absolutely 
fearful.  There  could  be  no  doubt  the  dose  of  sods  we 
had  tumbled  into  the  stomach  of  the  old  gentleman  was 
making  him  not  only  dreadfully  sick,  but  furiously  angry. 

At  this  moment,  as  if  the  elements  sympathized  in  his 
distress,  fierce  gusts  of  wind  began  to  blow  down  from 
the  Langarfjal.  So  sudden  and  violent  were  they  that 
it  was  difficult  to  maintain  a  foothold  in  our  exposed  po 
sition  ;  and  the  tall  column  of  fountains,  struck  with  the 
full  violence  of  the  wind,  presented  a  splendid  spectacle 
of  strength  and  rage — -.surging,  and  swaying,  and  battling 
to  maintain  its  erect  position,  and  showing  in  every  mo 
tion  the  irresistible  power  with  which  it  was  ejected. 
Steam,  and  water,  and  sods  went  whirling  down  into  the 
valley ;  the  very  air  was  darkened  with  the  shriven  and 
scattered  currents ;  and  a  black  deluge  fell  to  the  lee 
ward,  hundreds  of  yards  beyond  the  orifice.  The  weird 
and  barren  aspect  of  the  surrounding  scenery  was  never 
more  impressive. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  Strokhr,  sir  ?"  asked  Zoega, 
with  some  pride.  "Is  it  equal  to  the  Geysers  of  Cali 
fornia  ?" 

I  was  rather  taken  aback  at  the  honest  bluntness  of 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  517 

this  question,  and  must  admit  that  I  felt  a  little  crest-fall 
en  when  I  came  to  compare  the  respective  performances. 
Therefore  I  could  only  answer,  in  rather  a  casual  way, 

" "Well,  Zoega,  to  tell. you  the  truth,  ours  don't  get 
quite  so  sick  as  this,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  superior  sa 
lubrity  of  our  climate.  You  might  throw  sods  into  them 
all  day,  and  they  wouldn't  make  such  a  fuss  about  it  as 
the  Strokhr  makes  about  a  mere  handful.  Their  diges 
tion,  you  see,  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"  Oh,  but  wait,  sir,  till  you  see  the  Great  Geyser ;  that's 
much  better  than  the  Strokhr." 

"  Doubtless  it  is  very  fine,  Zoega.  Still  I  can't  help 
but  think  our  California  Geysers  are  in  a  superior  condi 
tion  of  health.  It  is  true  they  smoke  a  good  deal,  "but  I 
don't  think  they  impair  their  digestion  by  such  stimula 
ting  food  as  the  Geysers  of  Iceland.  Judging  by  the 
eruptions  of  the  Strokhr,  I  should  say  he  feeds  exclusive 
ly  on  fire  and  water,  which  would  ruin  the  best  stomach 
in  the  world." 

Zoega  looked  troubled.  He  evidently  did  not  compre 
hend  my  figurative  style  of  speech.  So  the  conversation 
dropped. 

The  column  of  water  ejected  from  the  Strokhr,  unlike 
that  of  the  Great  Geyser,  is  tall  and  slender,  and  of  al 
most  inky  blackness.  In  the  case  of  the  Great  Geyser 
no  artificial  means  interrupt  its  operations;  in  that  of 
the  Strokhr  the  pressure  of  foreign  substances  produces 
results  not  natural  to  it. 

After  the  two  eruptions  which  I  have  attempted  to 
describe,  the  waters  of  the  Strokhr  again  subsided  into 
sobs  and  convulsive  throes.  Some  half  an  hour  now 
elapsed  before  any  thing  more  took  place.  Then  there 
was  another  series  of  growls,  and  a  terrible  swashing 
about  down  in  the  churn,  as  if  all  the  demons  under  earth 
were  trying  to  drown  one  another,  and  up  shot  the  mur 
ky  flood  for  the  third  time.  Thus  it  continued  at  inter 
vals  more  and  more  remote,  till  a  late  hour  in  the  night, 
making  desperate  efforts  to  disgorge  the  sods  that  were 


518  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

swept  back  after  every  ejection,  and  to  rid  itself  of  the 
foul  water  that  remained.  These  attempts  gradually 
grew  fainter  and  fainter,  subsiding  at  last  into  mere  grum 
blings.  I  looked  into  the  orifice  the  next  morning,  and 
was  surprised  to  find  the  water  yet  discolored.  It  was 
evident,  from  the  uneasy  manner  in  which  it  surged  about, 
that  the  dose  still  produced  unpleasant  effects. 

Having  finished  my  sketch,  I  returned  to  the  tent,  in 
front  of  which  Zoega  had  meantime  spread  a  cloth,  with 
some  bread  and  cheese  on  it,  and  such  other  scraps  of 
provisions  as  we  had.  A  little  boy  from  the  neighbor 
ing  sheep-ranch  brought  us  down  some  milk  and  cream, 
and  I  thought  if  we  only  had  a  cup  of  tea  now  to  warm 
us  up  after  the  chilly  wind  our  supper  would  be  luxuri 
ous. 

"  Just  in  time,  sir,"  said  Zoega ;  "  I'll  make  the  tea  in 
a  minute." 

"  Where's  your  fire." 

"  Oh,  we  don't  need  fire  here — the  hot  water  is  always 
ready.  There's  the  big  boiler  up  yonder !" 

I  looked  where  Zoega  pointed,  and  saw,  about  a  hund 
red  yards  off,  a  boiling  caldron.  This  was  our  grand 
tea-kettle.  Upon  a  nearer  inspection,  I  found  that  it 
consisted  of  two  great  holes  in  the  rocks,  close  together, 
the  larger  of  which  was  about  thirty  feet  in  circumfer 
ence,  and  of  great  depth.  The  water  was  as  clear  as  crys 
tal.  It  wras  easy  to  trace  the  white  stratum  of  rocks,  of 
which  the  sides  were  formed,  down  to  the  neck  of  the 
great  shaft  through  which  the  water  was  ejected.  Flakes 
of  steam  floated  off  from  the  surface  of  the  crystal  pool, 
which  was  generally  placid.  Only  at  occasional  inter 
vals  did  it  show  any  symptoms  of  internal  commotion. 
By  dipping  my  finger  down  a  little  way  I  found  that  it 
was  boiling  hot.  Five  minutes  immersion  would  be  suf 
ficient  to  skin  and  boil  an  entire  man. 

Nature  has  bountifully  put  these  boilers  here  for  the 
use  of  travelers.  Not  a  stick  or  twig  of  wood  grows 
within  a  circuit  of  many  miles,  and  without  fuel  of  course 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


519 


it  would  be  impossible  to  cook  food.  Here  a  leg  of  mut 
ton  submerged  in  a  pot  can  be  beautifully  boiled ;  plum- 
puddings  cooked ;  eggs,  fish,  or  any  thing  you  please, 
done  to  a  nicety.  All  this  I  knew  before,  but  I  had  no 
idea  that  the  water  was  pure  enough  for  drinking  pur 
poses.  Such,  however,  is  the  fact.  No  better  water 
ever  came  out  of  the  earth — in  a  boiled  condition.  To 
make  a  pot  of  tea,  you  simply  put  your  tea  in  your  pot, 
hold  on  to  the  handle,  dip  the  whole  concern  down  into 
the  water,  keep  it  there  a  while  to  draw,  and  your  tea  is 
made. 

I  found  it  excellent,  and  did  not,  as  I  apprehended,  dis 
cover  any  unpleasant  flavor  in  the  water.  It  may  be 
slightly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  though  that  gives  it 
rather  a  wholesome  smack.  To  me,  however,  it  tasted 
very  much  like  any  other  hot  water. 


BUDK-8ADDLK. 


When  I  returned  to  the  tent,  and  sat  down  to  my  fru 
gal  repast,  and  ate  my  bread  and  cheese,  and  quaifed  the 
fragrant  tea,  Zoega  sitting  near  by  respectfully  assisting 
me,  something  of  the  old  California  feeling  came  over 
me,  and  I  enjoyed  life  once  more  after  years  of  travel 
through  the  deserts  of  civilization  in  Europe.  What  a 


520  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

glorious  thing  it  is  to  be  a  natural  barbarian  !  This  was 
luxury !  this  was  joy !  this  was  Paradise  upon  earth ! 
Ah  me !  where  is  the  country  that  can  equal  California  ? 
Brightest  of  the  bright  lands  of  sunshine ;  richest,  rarest, 
loveliest  of  earth's  beauties !  like  Phaedra  to  the  mistress 
of  his  soul,  I  love  you  by  day  and  by  night,  behave  in 
the  company  of  others  as  if  I  were  absent ;  want  you ; 
dream  of  you ;  think  of  you ;  wish  for  you ;  delight  in 
you — in  short,  I  am  wholly  yours,  body  and  soul !  If 
ever  I  leave  you  again  on  a  wild-goose  chase  through 
Europe,  may  the  Elector  of  Hesse-Cassel  appoint  me  his 
prime  minister,  or  the  Duke  of  Baden  his  principal  but 
ler! 

Very  little  indication  of  the  time  was  apparent  in  the 
sky.  The  sun  still  shone  brightly,  although  it  was  near 
ly  ten  o'clock.  I  did  not  feel  much  inclined  to  sleep,  with 
so  many  objects  of  interest  around.  Apart  from  that, 
there  was  something  in  this  everlasting  light  that  dis 
turbed  my  nervous  system.  It  becomes  really  terrible 
in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  The  whole  order  of  nature 
seems  reversed.  Night  has  disappeared  altogether. 
Nothing  but  day  remains — dreary,  monotonous,  perpet 
ual  day.  You  crave  the  relief  of  darkness;  your  spirits, 
at  first  exuberant,  go  down,  and  still  down,  till  they  are 
below  zero ;  the  novelty  wears  away,  and  the  very  light 
becomes  gloomy. 

People  must  sleep,  nevertheless.  With  me  it  was  a 
duty  I  owed  to  an  overtaxed  body.  Our  tent  was  rath 
er  small  for  two,  and  Zoega  asked  permission  to  sleep 
with  an  acquaintance  who  lived  in  a  cabin  about  two 
miles  distant.  This  I  readily  granted.  It  was  something 
of  a  novelty  to  be  left  in  charge  of  two  such  distinguish 
ed  characters  as  the  Great  Geyser  and  the  Strokhr. 
Possibly  they  might  fai&or  me  with  some  extraordinary 
freaks  of  humor,  such  as  no  other  traveler  had  yet  enjoy 
ed.  So,  bidding  Zoega  a  kindly  farewell  for  the  present, 
I  closed  the  front  of  the  tent,  and  tried  to  persuade  my 
self  that  it  was  night. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  521 

With  the  light  streaming  in  through  the  crevices  of 
the  tent,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  imagine  that  this  was 
an  appropriate  time  to  "steep  the  senses  in  forgetful- 
ness."  I  was  badly  provided  with  covering,  and  the 
weather,  though  not  absolutely  cold,  was  damp  and 
chilly.  In  my  hurry  to  get  off,  I  had  forgotten  even  the 
small  outfit  with  which  I  originally  thought  of  making 
the  journey.  All  I  now  had  in  the  way  of  bedding  was 
a  thin  shawl,  and  an  old  overall  belonging  to  Captain 
Andersen,  of  the  steamer.  I  put  one  on  the  ground  and 
the  other  over  my  body,  and  -with  a  bag  of  hard  bread 
under  my  head  by  way  of  a  pillow,  strove  to  banish  the 
notion  that  it  was  at  all  uncomfortable.  There  was 
something  in  this  method  of  sleeping  to  remind  me  of  my 
California  experience.  To  be  sure  there  was  a  lack  of 
blankets,  and  fire,  and  pleasant  company,  and  balmy  air, 
and  many  other  luxuries ;  but  the  general  principle  was 
the  same,  except  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep.  The 
idea  of  being  utterly  alone,  in  such  an  outlandish  part 
of  the  world,  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the 
singular  activity  of  my  nervous  system.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  somebody  was  thrusting  cambric  needles  into 
my  skin  in  a  sudden  and  violent  manner,  and  at  the  most 
unexpected  places ;  and  strange  sounds  were  continual 
ly  buzzing  in  my  ears.  I  began  to  reflect  seriously  upon 
the  condition  of  affairs  down  underneath  my  bed.  Doubt 
less  it  was  a  very  fiery  and  restless  region,  or  all  these 
smokes  and  simmering  pools  would  not  disfigure  the  face 
of  the  country.  How  thick  was  the  shell  of  the  earth 
at  this  particular  spot  ?  It  sounded  very  thin  all  over 
— a  mere  crust,  through  which  one  might  break  at  any 
moment.  Here  was  boiling  water  fizzing  and  gurgling 
all  around,  and  the  air  was  impregnated  with  strong 
odors  of  sulphur.  Suppose  the  whole  thing  should  burst 
up  of  a  sudden  ?  It  was  by  no  means  impossible.  What 
would  become  of  my  sketches  of  Iceland  in  the  event  of 
such  a  catastrophe  as  that?  What  sort  of  a  notice  would 
my  editorial  friends  give  of  the  curious  manner  in  which 


522  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

I  had  disappeared  ?  And  what  would  Zoega  think  in 
the  morning,  when  he  came  down  from  the  farm-house, 
and  saw  that  his  tent  and  provision-boxes  were  gone 
down  in  a  great  hole,  and  that  an  American  gentleman, 
in  whom  he  had  the  greatest  confidence,  had  not  only 
carried  them  with  him,  but  failed  to  pay  his  liabilities 
before  starting?  Here,  too,  was  the  sun  only  slightly 
dipped  below  the  horizon  at  midnight,  and  the  moon 
shining  overhead  at  the  same  time.  Every  thing  was 
twisted  inside  out  and  turned  upside  down.  It  was  tru 
ly  a  strange  country. 

Having  tossed  and  tumbled  about  for  an  indefinite 
length  of  time,  I  must  have  fallen  into  an  uneasy  doze. 
During  the  day  I  had  been  thinking  of  the  rebellion  at 
home,  and  now  gloomy  visions  disturbed  my  mind.  I 
thought  I  saw  moving  crowds  dressed  in  black,  and  heard 
wailing  sounds.  Funerals  passed  before  me,  and  women 
and  children  wept  for  the  dead.  The  scene  changed, 
and  I  saw  hosts  of  men  on  the  battle-field,  rushing  upon 
each  other  and  falling  in  deadly  strife.  A  dreary  horror 
came  over  me.  It  was  like  some  dreadful  play,  in  which 
the  stake  was  human  life.  Blood  was  upon  the  faces  of 
the  dying  and  the  dead.  In  the  effort  to  disentangle 
the  right  from  the  wrong — to  seek  out  a  cause  for  the 
calamity  which  had  fallen  upon  us — a  racking  anguish 
tortured  me,  and  I  vainly  strove  to  regain  my  scattered 
senses.  Then,  in  the  midst  of  this  confused  dream,  I 
heard  the  booming  of  cannon — at  first  far  down  in  the 
earth,  but  gradually  growing  nearer,  till,  with  a  start,  I 
awoke.  Still  the  guns  boomed  !  Surely  the  sounds  were 
real.  I  could  not  be  deceived.  Starting  to  my  feet,  I 
listened.  Splashing  and  surging  waters,  and  dull,  heavy 
reports,  sounded  in  the  air.  I  dashed  aside  the  lining 
of  the  tent  and  looked  out.  Never  shall  I  forget  that 
sight — the  Great  Geyser  in  full  eruption  !  A  tremen 
dous  volume  of  water  stood  in  bold  relief  against  the 
sky,  like  a  tall  weeping  willow  in  winter  swaying  before 
the  wind,  and  shaking  the  white  frost  from  its  drooping 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  523 

brandies.  Whirling  vapors  and  white  wreaths  floated 
off  toward  the  valley.  All  was  clear  overhead.  A  spec 
tral  light,  which  was  neither  of  day  nor  of  night,  shone 
upon  the  dark,  lava-covered  earth.  The  rush  and  plash 
ing  of  the  fountain  and  the  booming  of  the  subterranean 
guns  fell  with  a  startling  distinctness  upon  the  solitude. 
Streams  of  glittering  white  water  swept  the  surface  of 
the  great  basin  on  all  sides,  and  dashed  hissing  and  steam 
ing  into  the  encircling  fissures.  A  feathery  spray  spark 
led  through  the  air.  The  earth  trembled,  and  sudden 
gusts  of  wind  whirled  down  with  a  moaning  sound  from 
the  wild  gorges  of  the  Langarfjal. 

It  did  not  appear  to  me  that  the  height  of  the  fountain 
was  so  great  as  it  is  generally  represented.  So  far  as  I 
could  judge,  the  greatest  altitude  at  any  time  from  the 
commencement  of  the  eruption  was  not  over  sixty  feet. 
Its  volume,  however,  greatly  exceeded  my  expectations, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  form  surpassed  all  description.  I 
had  never  before  seen,  and  never  again  expect  to  see,  any 
thing  equal  to  it.  This  magnificent  display  lasted,  al 
together,  about  ten  minutes.  The  eruption  was  some 
what  spasmodic  in  its  operation,  increasing  or  diminish 
ing  in  force  at  each  moment,  till,  with  a  sudden  dash,  all 
the  water  that  remained  was  ejected,  and  then,  after  a 
few  gurgling  throes,  all  was  silent. 

I  no  longer  attempted  to  sleep.  My  mind  was  bewil 
dered  with  the  wonders  of  the  scene  I  had  just  witness 
ed.  All  I  could  do  was  to  make  a  cup  of  tea  at  the  big 
boiler  on  the  slope  above  my  tent,  and  walk  about,  after 
drinking  it,  to  keep  my  feet  warm.  Soon  the  sun's  rays 
appeared  upon  the  distant  mountains.  A  strange  time 
of  the  night  for  the  sun  to  be  getting  up — only  half  past 
one — when  people  in  most  other  parts  of  the  world  are 
snug  in  bed,  and  don't  expect  to  see  a  streak  of  sunshine 
for  at  least  four  or  five  hours.  How  different  from  any 
thing  I  had  ever  before  seen  was  the  sunrise  in  Iceland ! 
No  crowing  of  the  cock ;  no  singing  of  the  birds ;  no 
merry  plow-boys  whistling  up  the  horses  in  the  barn- 


524  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

yard  ;  no  cherry-cheeked  milk-maids'  singing  love-ditties 
as  they  tripped  the  green  with  their  pails  upon  their 
heads.  All  was  grim,  silent,  and  death-like.  And  yet 
surely,  for  all  that,  the  delicate  tints  of  the  snow-capped 
mountains,  the  peaks  of  which  were  now  steeped  in  the 
rays  of  the  rising  sun,  the  broad  valley  slumbering  in  the 
shade,  the  clear,  sparkling  atmosphere,  and  the  exquisite 
coloring  of  the  Langarfjal — the  mighty  crag  that  towers 
over  the  Geysers — were  beauties  enough  to  redeem  -the 
solitude  and  imbue  the  deserts  with  a  celestial  glory. 

There  are  various  theories  concerning  the  cause  of 
these  eruptions  of  water  in  Iceland.  That  of  Lyell,  the 
geologist,  seems  the  most  reasonable.  The  earth,  as  it  is 
well  known,  increases  in  heat  at  a  certain  ratio  corre 
sponding  with  the  depth  from  the  surface.  There  are 
cavities  in  many  parts  of  it,  arising  from  subterranean 
disturbances,  into  which  the  water  percolates  from  the 
upper  strata.  In  Iceland  the  probability  is  that  these 
cavities  are  both  numerous  and  extensive,  owing  to  vol 
canic  causes,  and  form  large  receivers  for  the  water  of 
the  surrounding  neighborhood.  Wherever  there  is  a 
natural  outlet,  as  at  the  Geysers,  this  water,  which  is  boil 
ed  by  the  heat  of  the  earth,  is  forced  to  the  surface  by 
compression  of  steam,  and  remains  at  the  mouth  of  the 
pipe,  or  shaft,  until  an  accumulation  of  compressed  steam 
drives  it  up  in  the  form  of  a  fountain.  The  periodical 
occurrence  of  these  eruptions  in  some  of  the  hot-springs 
and  not  in  others  may  arise  from  a  difference  in  the  depth 
of  the  receiver,  or  more  probably  from  the  existence  of 
several  outlets  for  the  escape  of  steam  in  some,  and  only 
one  in  others.  A  good  illustration  of  this  theory  is  pre 
sented  in  the  boiling  of  an  ordinary  tea-kettle.  When 
the  compression  of  steam  is  great,  the  cover  is  lifted  up 
and  the  water  shoots  from  the  spout,  by  which  means 
the  pressure  is  relieved  and  the  water  subsides.  The 
same  thing  is  repeated  until  the  space  within  the  kettle 
becomes  sufficiently  large  to  admit  of  a  more  rapid  con 
densation  of  the  steam.  The  action  of  the  Strokhr,  which, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


525 


as  I  have  shown,  differs  from  that  of  the  Great  Geyser, 
may  be  accounted  for  on  the  same  general  principle. 


bTKOiillll   AMI    HECEIVEU. 


The  foreign  substances  thrown  in  on  top  of  the  boiling 
water  stops  the  escape  of  steam,  which,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  is  sufficiently  great  not  to  require  the  pe- 


526  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

riodical  relief  of  an  eruption.  An  accumulation  o"f  com 
pressed  steam  takes  place  in  the  reservoir  below,  and 
this  continues  until  the  obstruction  is  ejected. 

This,  I  believe,  is  substantially  Lyell's  theory ;  though, 
having  no  books  by  me  at  present,  I  quote  entirely  from 
memory,  and  it  is  possible  I  may  be  mistaken  in  some  of 
the  details.  The  preceding  diagrams  will  enable  the 
reader  to  understand  more  clearly  the  whole  process  by 
which  these  eruptions  are  produced. 

Six  long  hours  remained  till  ordinary  breakfast-time. 
What  was  to  be  done?  It  w"as  getting  terribly  lone 
some.  I  felt  like  one  who  had  been  to  a  theatre  and 
seen  all  the  performances.  Zoega  had  promised  to  be 
back  by  eight  o'clock ;  but  eight  o'clock  in  Iceland,  on 
the  21st  of  June,  is  a  late  hour  of  the  day.  A  treatise 
on  trigonometry  might  be  written  between  sunrise  and 
that  unapproachable  hour.  The  only  thing  I  could  do 
was  to  make  some  more  tea  and  eat  a  preliminary  break 
fast.  When  that  was  done  nothing  remained  but  to  go 
to  work  in  front  of  my  little  tent  and  finish  up  my  rough 
sketches.  This  is  a  very  absorbing  business,  as  every 
body  knows  who  has  tried  it,  and  I  was  deeply  into  it 
when  Zoega  made  his  appearance. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  he,  "  what  success  ?     Did  he  erupt  ?" 

"  Of  course  he  erupted,  Zoega.  You  didn't  suppose  a 
Great  Geyser  would  keep  a  gentleman  all  the  way  from 
California  waiting  here  an  entire  night  without  showing 
him  what  he  could  do  ?" 

"No,  sir;  but  he  sometimes  disappoints  travelers. 
How  do  you  like  it  ?  Does  he  compare  with  your  Cali 
fornia  Geysers  ?" 

"Well,  Zoega,  he  throws  up  more  hot  water,  to  be 
sure,  because  our  Geysers  don't  erupt  at  all ;  but  here  is 
the  grand  difference.  We  Californians  are  a  moral  peo 
ple  ;  we  don't  live  so  near  to  (I  pointed  down  below)  as 
you  do  in  Iceland." 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  sir,"  said  Zoega,  with  a  puz 
zled  expression. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  527 

I  called  him  over  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  Zoega,  I 
hope  you're  a  good  man.  Do  you  say  your  prayers  reg 
ularly?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Then  you  are  all  right.  Let  us  be  going.  I  don't 
like  this  neighborhood." 

"  Whenever  you  wish,  sir.     The  horses  are  all  ready." 

And  Zoega  proceeded  to  strike  the  tent  and  pack  the 
animals,  muttering  to  himself  and  shaking  his  head  grave 
ly,  as  if  he  thought  the  Californians  were  a  very  peculiar 
race  of  men,  to  say  the  least  of  them. 

Another  cup  of  tea  and  a  few  biscuits  served  to  brace 
us  up  for  the  journey,  and  we  mounted  our  horses  and 
turned  their  heads  homeward.  Brusa  was  so  delighted 
at  the  idea  of  being  en  route  once  more  that  he  signal 
ized  our  departure  by  giving  chase  to  a  flock  of  sheep, 
which  he  dispersed  in  a  most  miraculous  manner,  and 
then,  of  course,  received  the  customary  punishment. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

THE   ENGLISH    SPORTS   IN   TROUBLE. 

OUR  ride  back  to  Thingvalla  was  over  the  same  trail 
which  we  had  traveled  on  the  preceding  day,  with  the 
exception  of  a  short  cut  to  the  right  of  the  Tintron  rock. 
We  made  very  good  speed,  and  reached  the  Parsonage 
early  in  the  afternoon. 

During  our  absence  a  young  Englishman  had  arrived 
from  the  North,  where  he  had  been  living  for  a  year.  I 
found  him  in  the  travelers'  room,  surrounded  by  a  con 
fused  medley  of  boxes,  bags,  books,  and  Icelandic  curi 
osities,  which  he  wras  endeavoring  to  reduce  to  some  kind 
of  order.  Had  I  not  been  told  he  was  an  Englishman  I 
should  never  have  suspected  it,  either  from  his  appear 
ance  or  manner.  When  I  entered  the  room  he  stood  up 
and  looked  at  me,  and  I  must  say,  without  intending  him 
the  slightest  disrespect,  that  he  was  the  most  extraordi- 


528  THE  LAND  OF  TIIOR. 

nary  looking  man  I  ever  saw  in  all  my  life,  not  excepting 
a  tattooed  African  chief  that  I  once  met  at  Zanzibar. 
Whether  he  was  young  or  old  it  was  impossible  to  say 
— he  might  be  twenty-five  or  just  as  likely  fifty.  Dirty 
and  discolored  with  travel,  his  face  was  generally  dark, 
though  it  was  somewhat  relieved  by  spots  of  yellow. 
His  features  were  regular,  and  of  almost  feminine  soft 
ness  ;  his  eyes  were  dark  brown ;  and  his  hair,  which 
was  nearly  black,  hung  down  over  his  shoulders  in  lank 
straight  locks,  sunburnt  or  frostbitten  at  the  ends.  On 
his  head  he  wore  a  tall,  conical  green  wool  hat,  with  a 
broad  brim,  and  a  brown  band  tied  in  a  true  lover's  knot 
at  one  side.  The  remainder  of  his  costume  consisted  of 
a  black  cloth  roundabout,  threadbare  and  dirty ;  a  pair 
of  black  casimere  pantaloons,  very  tight  about  the  legs 
and  burst  open  in  several  places ;  and  a  pair  of  mocca 
sins  on  his  feet,  adorned  with  beads  and  patches  of  red 
flannel.  If  he  wore  a  shirt  it  was  not  conspicuous  for 
whiteness,  for  I  failed  to  discover  it.  When  he  saw  that 
a  stranger  stood  before  him,  he  looked  quite  overwhelm 
ed  with  astonishment,  and  gasped  out  some  inarticulate 
words,  consisting  principally  of  Icelandic  interjections. 

"  How  do  you  do,  sir  ?"  said  I,  in  the  usual  California 
style.  "  I'm  glad  to  meet  an  Englishman  in  this  wild 
country !" 

"  Ye'ow-w-w !"  (a  prolonged  exclamation.) 

"  Just  arrived,  sir  ?" 

"  Nay-y-y !"  (a  prolonged  negative.) 

"  You  speak  English,  I  believe,  sir?" 

"  Oh-h-h !     Ya-a-a-s.     Are — you — an — Englishman  ?" 

"  No,  sir.     An  American,  from  California." 

"  De-e-e-a-r-r  m-e-e !" 

Here  there  was  a  pause,  for  I  really  did  not  know  what 
to  make  of  the  man.  He  looked  at  the  ceiling,  and  at 
the  floor,  and  out  of  the  window,  and  started  a  remark 
several  times,  but  always  stopped  before  he  got  under 
way,  or  lost  it  in  a  prolonged  "  Oh-o-o-a !"  Again  and 
again  he  attempted  to  speak,  never  getting  beyond  ji 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 


529 


word  or  two.  It  seemed  as  if  some  new  idea  were  con 
tinually  crossing  his  mind  and  depriving  him  of  his  breath  ; 
he  labored  under  a  chronic  astonishment.  At  first  I  sup 
posed  it  might  be  the  natural  result  of  a  year's  absence 
in  the  interior  of  Iceland,  but  subsequent  acquaintance 
with  him  satisfied  me  that  it  was  constitutional.  He 


530  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

was  astonished  all  the  way  from  Reykjavik  to  Scotland. 
When  it  rained  he  opened  his  eyes  as  if  they  would 
burst ;  looked  up  in  the  sky,  and  cried  "  Oh-h-h  !"  When 
it  blew  he  tumbled  into  his  berth,  covered  himself  up  in 
the  blankets,  peeped  out  in  the  most  profound  amaze 
ment,  and  ejaculated  "Ah -h-h !  Oh-h-h!  Hay-y-y! 
Ye'ow-w-w !"  When  the  weather  was  fine  he  came  up 
on  deck,  peered  over  the  bulwarks,  up  at  the  rigging, 
down  into  the  engine-room,  and  was  perfectly  astounded 
at  each  object,  exclaiming  alternately  "  Oh-h-o-o-a-a-h !" 
"  Ah-ha  !"  "  H-a-y  !"  and  "  Ye'ow-w-w-w  !"  At  Thing- 
valla  his  main  food  was  curds  and  black  bread,  yet  he 
had  an  abundance  of  the  best  provisions.  He  was  a 
thorough  Icelandic  scholar,  and  spoke  the  language  with 
ease  and  grace,  only  when  interrupted  by  the  novel  ideas 
that  so  often  struck  him  in  the  head.  With  all  his  odd 
ity,  he  was  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  education,  and  was 
very  amiable  in  his  disposition.  He  had  evidently  spent 
much  of  his  life  over  books;  his  knowledge  of  the  world 
scarcely  equaled  that  of  a  child.  From  all  that  I  could 
gather  of  his  winter's  experiences  in  North  Iceland,  the 
climate  was  not  very  severe,  except  at  occasional  inter 
vals  when  there  was  a  press  of  ice-fields  along  the  coast. 
The  mean  temperature  was  quite  moderate.  He  suffer 
ed  no  inconvenience  at  all  from  the  weather.  At  times 
it  was  very  pleasant.  He  had  the  misfortune  to  break 
his  leg  in  climbing  over  some  lava-bergs,  which  crippled 
him  for  some  weeks,  but  he  was  now  getting  all  right 
again.  This  account  of  his  experiences,  which  I  obtain 
ed  from  him  during  the  evening,  took  many  divergences 
into  the  "  Ohs !"  and  "  Ahs !"  and  was  really  both  in 
structive  and  entertaining.  When  he  came  to  the  break 
ing  of  his  leg,  I  expressed  my  astonishment  at  the  equa 
nimity  with  which  he  bore  it,  which  so  astonished  him, 
when  he  came  to  think  of  it  in  that  light,  that  he  cried 
"  Oh-h-a-a !  ya-a-s !  It — was — very — bad  !"  as  if  he  had 
entirely  forgotten  how  bad  it  was,  and  now  made  a  new 
and  most  singular  discovery. 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  531 

As  there  was  only  the  one  small  room  we  had  to  sleep 
at  pretty  close  quarters,  the  Englishman  on  the  sofa  and 
I  in  the  bed,  which  for  some  reason  was  awarded  to  me 
by  the  good  pastor.  Having  no  preference,  I  offered  to 
exchange ;  but  this  only  astonished  my  eccentric  neigh 
bor,  and  set  him  off  into  a  labyrinth  of  interjections.  Our 
heads  were  placed  pretty  close  together,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  I  could  settle  myself  to  sleep,  owing  to  a  va 
riety  of  peculiar  sounds  he  made  in  whispering  to  him 
self.  He  seemed  to  be  telling  himself  some  intermina 
ble  story  from  one  of  the  Sagas.  Several  times  I  dozed 
off,  and  was  awakened  by  some  extraordinary  ejacula 
tion. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  I,  at  length,  rising  up,  and 
looking  in  the  face  of  my  neighbor,  who  was  lying  on 
his  back,  with  his  eyes  wide  open,  "  I  beg  your  pardon, 
sir ;  did  you  speak  to  me  ?" 

"Oh-h-h-a!"  shouted  the  Englishman,  jumping  up  as 
if  touched  with  a  streak  of  electricity.  "  Dear  me !  ha 
— oh-o-o !  How  very  odd  !" 

"Sir?" 

"Eh?" 

"  Good-night,  sir !"  I  said,  and  lay  down  again.  The 
Englishman  also  composed  himself  to  rest,  but  presently 
rose  up,  and,  looking  over  at  me,  exclaimed  "  OH-O-O- AH  !" 

This  was  all.  Then  we  both  composed  ourselves  to 
sleep.  Tired  as  I  was  after  my  ride  from  the  Geysers 
and  the  bad  night  I  had  passed  there,  it  was  no  wonder 
I  soon  lost  all  consciousness  of  the  proximity  of  my  ec 
centric  room-mate,  and  the  probability  is  I  would  have 
gotten  well  through  the  night  but  for  another  singular 
and  unexpected  interruption. 

"  Hello !  What  the  devil !  Who's  here  ?  By  Jove, 
this  is  jolly !  I  say !  Where  the  dooce  is  our  American 
friend?  Down,  Bowser!  Down!  Blawst  the  dog! 
Ho !  ho !  Look  here,  Tompkins !  I  say !  Here's  a  go !" 

There  was  a  tramping-  of  feet,  a  knocking  about  of 
loose  things  in  the  room,  and  a  chorus  of  familiar  voices 


532  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

in  the  adjoining  passage.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
party  of  sporting  Englishmen  had  arrived  from  Reykja 
vik. 

"  Oh-h-a !  Ye-o-w  !"  exclaimed  my  room-mate,  start 
ing  up,  and  gazing  wildly  at  the  lively  young  gentleman 
with  the  dog.  "  Oh-o-o !  How  very  odd !" 

The  jolly  sportsman  looked  at  the  apparition  in  per 
fect  amazement.  Both  stared  at  each  other  for  a  mo 
ment,  as  if  such  an  extraordinary  sight  had  never  been 
witnessed  on  either  side  before. 

"  By  Jove  !  this  is  jolly !"  muttered  the  lively  gentle 
man,  turning  on  his  heel  and  walking  out ;  "  a  devilish 
rum-looking  chap,  that !" 

"  Oh-o-o-o !"  was  all  my  astonished  room-mate  said, 
after  which  he  turned  over  and  composed  himself  to 
sleep.  I  had  purposely  refrained  from  manifesting  any 
symptoms  of  wakefulness,  well-knowing  that  there  would 
be  no  farther  rest  that  night  if  I  once  discovered  myself 
to  the  traveling  party. 

At  a  seasonable  hour  in  the  morning,  however,  I  got 
up,  and  looked  about  in  search  of  my  fellow-passengers, 
whom  I  really  liked,  and  in  whose  progress  I  felt  a  con 
siderable  interest.  They  were  camped  close  by  the  church, 
under  the  lee  of  the  front  door.  Two  canvas  tents  cov 
ered  what  was  left  of  them.  A  general  wreck  of  equip 
ments  lay  scattered  all  around — broken  poles,  boxes,  tin 
ware,  etc.  It  was  plain  enough  they  had  encountered 
incredible  hardships. 

The  usual  greetings  over,  I  inquired  how  they  had  en 
joyed  the  trip  from  Reykjavik.  In  reply  they  gave  me 
a  detailed  and  melancholy  history  of  their  experiences. 
Riley's  Narrative  of  Shipwreck,  and  subsequent  hard 
ships  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  was  nothing  to  it.  Of  the 
twenty-five  horses  with  which  they  left  Reykjavik  only 
thirteen  were  sound  of  wind,  and  of  these  more  than  half 
were  afflicted  with  raw  backs.  The  pack-animals,  eight 
een  in  number,  were  every  one  lame.  Then  the  packs 
were  badly  done  up,  and  broke  to  pieces  on  the  way. 


534  THE  LAND  OF  THOK. 

Sometimes  the  ropes  cut  the  horses'  backs,  and  some 
times  the  horses  lay  down  on  the  road,  and  tried  to  trav 
el  with  their  feet  in  the  air.  Incredible  difficulty  was 
experienced  in  making  twelve  miles  the  first  day.  It 
rained  all  the  time.  The  bread  was  soaked ;  the  tea  de 
stroyed  ;  the  sugar  melted ;  and  the  Champagne  baskets 
smashed.  When  the  packs  were  taken  off  it  was  discov 
ered  that  some  of  them  were  quite  empty,  and  the  con 
tents,  consisting  originally  of  hair-brushes,  flea-powder, 
lip-salve,  and  cold-cream,  were  strewn  along  the  road 
probably  all  the  way  from  Reykjavik.  The  cot-fixtures 
were  swelled  and  wouldn't  fit;  the  tea-kettle  was  jammed 
into  a  cocked-hat ;  the  tent-pins  were  lost,  and  the  hatchet 
nowhere  to  be  found.  It  was  a  perfect  series  of  jams, 
smashes,  and  scatterings.  Even  the  sheets  were  filled 
with  mud,  and  wholly  unfit  for  use  until  they  could  be 
washed  and  done  up.  One  horse  lay  down  on  the  port 
able  kitchen,  and  flattened  it  into  a  general  pancake; 
another  attempted  to  take  an  impression  of  his  own  body 
on  the  photographic  apparatus,  and  reduced  it  (the  ap 
paratus)  to  fragments ;  another,  wishing  perhaps  to  see 
his  face  as  others  saw  him,  raked  off  the  looking-glasses 
against  a  point  of  lava,  and  walked  on  them  ;  and,  lastly, 
one  stupid  beast  contrived  in  some  way  to  get  his  nose 
into  a  mustard-case  which  had  fallen  from  a  pack  in  front, 
and,  snuffing  up  the  mustard,  got  his  nostrils  burnt  and 
went  perfectly  crazy,  kicking,  plunging,  and  charging  at 
all  the  other  horses  till  he  drove  them  all  as  crazy  as  him 
self,  whereby  a  prodigious  amount  of  damage  was  done. 
In  short,  it  was  a  series  of  disasters  from  beginning  to 
end ;  and  here  they  were  now  but  two  days'  journey 
from  Reykjavik  (I  had  made  the  whole  distance  easily 
in  seven  hours),  and,  by  Jove,  there  was  no  telling  how 
much  longer  it  would  be  possible  to  keep  the  guide. 
They  had  already  quarreled  with  him  several  times,  and 
threatened  to  discharge  him.  He  was  a  stupid  dunce, 
and  a  rascal  and  a  cheat  into  the  bargain.  On  the  whole, 
it  was  a  "  rurn"  sort  of  a  country  to  travel  in.  No  game, 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  535 

no  roads,  no  shops,  no  accommodations  for  man  or  beast ! 
And  who  ever  saw  such  houses  for  people  to  live  in? 
Mere  sheep-pens!  Disgustingly  filthy!  A  beastly  set 
of  ragamuffins !  By  Jove,  sir,  if  it  wasn't  for  the  name 
of  the  thing,  a  fellow  might  as  well  be  in  the  infernal 
regions  at  once !  In  truth,  I  must  acknowledge  that  the 
interior  of  an  Icelandic  hut  does  not  present  a  very  at 
tractive  spectacle  to  a  stranger. 

I  deeply  sympathized  with  my  friends,  and  urged  them 
to  leave  the  remainder  of  their  baggage.  If  there  was 
any  medicine  left,  a  dose  of  quinine  all  around  might  do 
them  good  and  prevent  any  ill  effects  from  the  rain ;  but, 
on  the  whole,  I  thought  they  would  get  along  better  with 
less  baggage. 

"  Less  baggage !"  cried  all  together.  "  Why,  hang  it, 
our  baggage  is  scattered  along  the  trail  clear  back  to 
Reykjavik!  It  has  been  growing  less  ever  since  we 
started.  By  the  time  we  reach  the  Geysers  it  is  ques 
tionable  if  we'll  have  as  much  as  a  fine-tooth  comb  left !" 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  you  can  travel.  Sell  a  dozen  of  your 
horses  on  the  way,  and  you'll  be  rid  of  another  trouble !" 

"  Sell  them ;  they  wouldn't  bring  a  farthing.  They're 
not  worth  a  groat." 

"  Then  turn  them  loose." 

"  That's  a  jolly  idea,"  said  the  lively  sportsman  ;  "  how 
the  deuce  are  we  to  travel  without  pack-horses  ?" 

"Oh,  nothing  easier.  You  don't  need  pack-horses 
when  you  have  no  packs." 

"By  Jove,  there's  something  in  that!"  said  the  jolly 
gentleman.  "  Our  American  friend  ought  to  know.  He's 
seen  the  elephant  before." 

This  proposition  gave  rise  to  an  animated  discussion, 
during  which  I  wished  them  a  prosperous  tour,  and  took 
my  leave.  Of  their  subsequent  career  I  have  heard  noth 
ing,  save  that  they  arrived  safely  in  England,  and  pub 
lished  various  letters  in.  the  newspapers  giving  glowing 
accounts  of  their  Icelandic  experience. 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  on  the  way  back  to 


- 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  537 

Reykjavik.  I  arrived  there  early  in  the  afternoon  safe 
and  sound,  and  greatly  benefited  by  the  trip.  Like  the 
beatings  received  by  Brusa,  the  experience  was  delight 
ful  when  it  was  over.  I  paid  off  my  excellent  guide 
Geir  Zoega,  and  made  him  a  present  of  the  few  articles 
that  remained  from  the  expedition.  It  is  a  great  pleas 
ure  to  be  able  to  recommend  a  guide  heartily  and  con 
scientiously.  A  worthier  man  than  Geir  Zoega  does 
not  exist,  and  I  hereby  certify  that  he  afforded  me  en 
tire  satisfaction.  No  traveler  who  desires  an  honest,  in 
telligent,  and  conscientious  guide  can  do  better  than  se 
cure  his  services.  Long  life  and  happiness  to  you,  Geir 
Zoega !  May  your  shadow  never  be  less ;  and  may  your 
invaluable  little  dog  Brusa  live  to  profit  by  your  wise 
counsel  and  judicious  administration  of  the  rod. 


CHAPTER  LIT. 

A   FRIGHTFUL    ADVENTURE. 

THE  Arcturus  had  been  delayed  in  discharging  freight 
by  a  series  of  storms  which  prevailed  at  the  bay,  and  was 
now  down  at  Haparanda  Fjord  taking  in  ballast.  The 
probability  was  that  she  would  not  leave  for  several  days. 
Meantime  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  see  a  little  more 
of  domestic  life  in  Iceland,  and  made  several  foot-expe 
ditions  to  the  farm-houses  in  the  neighborhood  of  Reyk 
javik. 

At  one  of  these  I  passed  a  night.  In  giving  the  de 
tails  of  an  awkward  adventure  that  befell  me  on  that  oc 
casion,  it  is  only  necessary  for  me  to  say  of  the  house 
that  it  was  built  in  the  usual  primitive  style,  already  de 
scribed  at  some  length.  The  people  were  farmers,  and 
the  family  consisted  of  an  old  man  and  his  wife,  three  or 
four  stout  sons,  and  a  buxom  daughter  some  twenty 
years  of  age.  A  few  words  of  Danish  enabled  me  to 
make  them  understand  that  I  wished  for  a  cup  of  coffee, 
some  bread,  and  lodgings  for  the  night.  They  were  ex- 
Z  2 


538  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

ceeding  kind,  ami  seemed  greatly  interested  in  the  fact 
that  I  was  an  American — probably  the  first  they  had 
ever  seen.  The  coffee  was  soon  ready;  a  cloth  was 
spread  upon  the  table,  and  a  very  good  supper  of  bread, 
cheese,  and  curds  placed  before  me.  I  passed  some  hours 
very  sociably,  giving  them,  as  well  as  I  could  by  means 
of  signs  and  diagrams,  aided  by  a  few  words  of  Danish, 
a  general  idea  of  California,  its  position  on  the  globe,  and 
the  enormous  amount  of  gold  which  it  yielded.  Evi 
dently  they  had  heard  some  exaggerated  rumors  of  the 
country.  The  name  was  familiar  to  them,  but  they  had 
no  idea  where  this  El  Dorado  was,  or  whether  there  was 
any  truth  in  the  statement  that  the  mountains  were  made 
of  gold,  and  all  the  rocks  in  the  valleys  of  pure  silver. 
My  efforts  to  enlighten  them  on  these  points  were  rather 
ludicrous.  It  was  miraculous  how  far  I  made  a  few 
words  go,  and  how  quick  they  were  to  guess  at  my  mean 
ing. 

About  eleven  o'clock  the  old  people  began  to  mani 
fest  symptoms  of  drowsiness,  and  gave  me  to  understand 
that  whenever  I  felt  disposed  to  go  to  bed  the  girl  would 
show  me  my  room.  A  walk  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  over 
the  lava-bergs  rendered  this  suggestion  quite  acceptable, 
so  I  bade  the  family  a  friendly  good-night,  and  followed 
the  girl  to  another  part  of  the  house.  She  took  me  into 
a  small  room  with  a  bed  in  one  corner.  By  a  motion  of 
her  hand  she  intimated  that  I  could  rest  there  for  the 
night.  I  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  and  said  it 
was  very  good — that  I  was  much  obliged  to  her.  She 
still  lingered  in  the  room,  however,  as  if  waiting  to  see 
if  she  could  be  of  any  farther  assistance.  I  could  not  be 
insensible  to  the  fact  that  she  was  a  very  florid  and  good- 
natured  looking  young  woman  ;  but,  of  course,  that  was 
none  of  my  business.  All  I  could  do  with  propriety  was 
to  thank  her  again,  and  signify  by  taking  off  my  over 
coat  that  I  was  about  to  go  to  bed.  Still  she  lingered, 
apparently  disposed  to  be  as  friendly  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  It  was  somewhat  awkward  being  alone 


THE  LAND  OF  THOR.  539 

in  a  strange  room  with  a  person  of  the  opposite  sex, 
young  and  rather  pretty,  without  saying  any  thing  par 
ticular.  Her  silence,  as  well  as  my  own,  was  getting  em 
barrassing.  I  attempted  to  carry  on  a  conversation  in 
Danish,  of  which  I  soon  discovered  she  knew  even  less 
than  I  did  myself.  She  answered  my  remarks,  however, 
in  her  native  tongue,  with  a  very  swreet  voice,  and  in 
such  a  sociable  way  that  I  felt  sure  she  meant  to  be  kind 
and  hospitable.  In  vain  I  waited  for  her  to  leave.  It 
was  getting  late,  and  her  parents  might  feel  anxious  about 
her.  Still  she  manifested  no  disposition  to  go  away. 
What  could  the  girl  mean  ?  was  a  question  that  now 
began  to  enter  my  head.  Probably  I  had  taken  posses 
sion  of  her  room,  and  she  had  no  other  place  to  sleep. 
If  so,  it  was  not  my  fault.  Nobody  could  hold  me  re 
sponsible  for  such  a  peculiar  family  arrangement.  Seeing 
no  alternative  but  to  test  the  point,  I  gradually  began 
to  take  off  my  coat.  So  far  from  being  abashed  at  the 
movement,  she  seized  hold  of  the  sleeves  and  helped  me 
off  with  it.  I  did  the  same  with  my  vest,  and  still  with 
the  same  result.  Then  I  pulled  off  my  boots,  but  with 
no  better  prospect  of  relief  from  my  embarrassing  dilem 
ma.  Finally  I  came  to  my  pantaloons,  at  which  I  natu 
rally  hesitated.  It  was  about  time  for  the  young  wom 
an  to  leave,  if  she  had  any  regard  for  my  feelings.  I 
thanked  her  very  cordially ;  but  she  showed  no  symp 
toms  of  leaving.  It  was  plain  that  she  meant  to  help  me 
through  with  the  business.  I  sat  for  some  time  longer 
before  I  could  bring  myself  to  this  last  trying  ordeal. 
There  was  something  so  pure  and  innocent  in  the  ex 
pression  of  the  young  woman's  face — such  an  utter  un 
consciousness  of  any  impropriety  in  our  relative  posi 
tions,  that  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  do  or  think.  "She 
wants  to  help  me  off  with  my  pantaloons — that's  plain  !" 
said  I  to  myself.  "  Perhaps  it  is  the  custom  in  Iceland  ; 
but  it  is  very  awkward,  nevertheless."  The  fact  is,  you 
see,  I  was  not  quite  old  enough  to  be  the  girl's  father, 
nor  yet  quite  young  enough  to  be  put  to  bed  like  her 


THE  LAND  OF  THOK.  541 

youngest  brother.  Between  the  two  extremes  of  the 
case  I  was  considerably  troubled.  To  reject  her  kind 
offers  of  service  might  be  deemed  rude,  and  nothing  was 
farther  from  my  intention  than  to  offend  this  amiable 
young  person.  Allowing  a  reasonable  time  to  elapse,  I 
saw  there  was  no  getting  over  the  difficulty,  and  began 
to  remove  the  last  article  of  my  daily  apparel.  Doubt- 
Jess  she  had  long  foreseen  that  it  would  eventually  come 
to  that.  In  a  very  accommodating  manner,  she  took  a 
position  directly  in  front,  and  beckoned  to  me  to  elevate 
one  of  my  legs,  an  order  which  I  naturally  obeyed.  Then 
she  seized  hold  of  the  pendent  casimere  and  dragged 
away  with  a  hearty  good-will.  I  was  quickly  reduced 
to  my  natural  state  with  the  exception  of  a  pair  of  draw 
ers,  which,  to  my  horror,  I  discovered  were  in  a  very 
ragged  condition,  owing  to  the  roughness  of  my  travels 
in  this  wild  region.  However,  by  an  adroit  movement 
I  whirled  into  bed,  and  the  young  woman  covered  me 
up  and  wished  me  a  good  night's  sleep.  I  thanked  her 
very  cordially,  and  so  ended  this  strange  and  rather  awk 
ward  adventure. 

Such  primitive  scenes  are  to  be  found  only  in  the  in 
terior.  In  the  towns  the  women  are  in  dress  and  man 
ners  very  like  their  sisters  elsewhere.  Hoops  and  crin 
oline  are  frequently  to  be  seen  not  only  among  the  Danes, 
who,  as  a  matter  of  course,  import  them  from  Copenha 
gen,  but  among  the  native  women,  who  can  see  no  good 
reason  why  they  should  not  be  as  much  like  pyramids 
or  Jokuls  as  others  of  their  sex.  Bonnets  and  inverted 
pudding-bowls  are  common  on  the  heads  of  the  Reykja 
vik  ladies,  though  as  yet  they  have  not  found  their  way 
into  the  interior.  All  who  can  afford  it  indulge  in  a  pro 
fusion  of  jewelry — silver  clasps,  breast-pins,  tassel-bands, 
etc.,  and  various  articles  of  filigree  made  by  native  art 
ists.  These  feminine  traits  I  had  not  expected  to  find  so 
fully  developed  in  so  out-of-the-way  a  country.  But 
where  is  it  that  lovely  woman  will  not  make  herself  still 
more  captivating?  I  once  saw  in  Madagascar  a  belle 


542  THE  LAND  OF  THOR. 

of  the  first  rank,  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades,  and  greased 
all  over  with  cocoa-nut  oil,  commit  great  havoc  among 
her  admirers  by  a  necklace  of  shark's  teeth  and  a  pair 
of  brass  anklets,  and  nothing  else.  The  rest  of  her  cos 
tume,  with  a  trifling  exception,  was  purely  imaginary ; 
yet  she  was  as  vain  of  her  superior  style,  and  put  on  as 
many  fine  airs,  as  the  most  fashionable  lady  in  any  civil 
ized  country.  After  all,  what  is  the  difference  between 
a  finely-dressed  savage  and  a  finely-dressed  Parisian? 
None  at  all  that  I  can  see,  save  in  the  color  of  the  skin 
and  the  amount  of  labor  performed  by  the  manufacturer, 
the  milliner,  the  tailor,  or  the  schoolmaster.  Intrinsic 
ally  the  constitution  of  the  mind  is  identically  the  same. 
I  speak  now  of  men  as  well  as  women,  for  the  most  af 
fected  creatures  I  have  seen  in  Europe  are  of  the  male 
sex.  So  pardon  me,  fair  ladies,  for  any  reflection  upon 
your  crinoline,  and  accept  as  my  apology  this  candid 
avowal — that  while  you  are  naturally  angelic,  and  always 
beautiful  beyond  comparison,  in  spite  of  what  you  do  to 
disfigure  your  lovely  persons,  we  men  are  naturally  sav 
ages,  and  are  driven  to  the  barbarous  expedient  of  adorn 
ing  and  beautifying  our  ugly  bodies  with  gewgaws,  tin 
sel,  and  jimcrackery,  in  order  that  they  may  be  accept 
able  in  your  eyes. 

On  my  return  to  Reykjavik  I  found  that  the  steamer 
was  to  sail  next  day.  I  was  very  anxious  to  visit  Mount 
Hecla,  but  my  time  and  means  were  limited,  and  would 
not  permit  of  a  farther  sojourn  in  this  interesting  land. 
It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  have  seen  any  thing  of  it  at 
all ;  and  if  I  have  given  the  reader  even  a  slight  glimpse 
of  its  wonders,  my  trip  has  not  been  entirely  unsuccess 
ful. 


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BY. 


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anity. 

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2  Vols. 

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Colonies  of  Greenland. 

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setts.  2  vols. 

Uncle  Philip's  History  of  New  Hamp 
shire.  2  vols. 


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'They  do  honor  to  American  Literature,  and  would  do 
honor  to  the  Literature  of  any  Country  in  the  World." 

THE   RISE   OF      '.-. 
THE    DUTCH    REPUBLIC. 

&  ijjistorji. 
BY  JOHN  LOTHKOP  MOTLEY. 

New  Edition.    With  a  Portrait  of  WILLIAM  OF  ORANGE.    3  vols, 
8vo,  Muslin,  $9  00. 

We  regard  this  work  as  the  best  contribution  to  modern  history  that  has  yet 
been  made  by  an  American.— Methodist  Quarterly  Review. 

The  "History  of  the  Dutch  Republic"  is  a  great  gift  to  us;  but  the  heart  and 
earnestness  that  beat  through  all  its  pages  are  greater,  for  they  give  us  most 
timely  inspiration  to  vindicate  the  true  ideas  of  our  country,  and  to  compose  an 
able  history  of  our  own.— Christian  Examiner  (Boston). 

This  work  bears  on  its  face  the  evidences  of  scholarship  and  research.  Th« 
arrangement  is  clear  and  effective ;  the  style  energetic,  lively,  and  often  brilliant. 
»  *  *  Mr.  Motley's  instructive  volumes  will,  we  trust,  have  a  circulation  commen 
surate  with  their  interest  and  value.—  Protestant  Episcopal  Quarterly  Review. 

To  the  illustration  of  this  most  interesting  period  Mr.  Motley  has  brought  the 
matured  powers  of  a  vigorous  and  brilliant  mind,  and  the  abundant  fruits  of  pa 
tient  and  judicious  study  and  deep  reflection.  The  result  is,  one  of  the  most 
important  contributions  to  historical  literature  that  have  been  made  in  this  coun 
try.—  North  American  Revuw. 

We  would  conclude  this  notice  by  earnestly  recommending  our  readers  to  pro 
cure  for  themselves  this  truly  great  and  admirable  work,  by  the  production  of 
which  the  auther  has  conferred  no  less  honor  upon  his  country  than  he  has  won 
praise  and  fame  for  himself,  and  than  which,  we  can  assure  them,  they  can  find 
nothing  more  attractive  or  interesting  within  the  compass  of  modern  literature. 
—Evangelical  Review. 

It  is  not  often  that  we  have  the  pleasure  of  commending  to  the  attention  of  the 
lover  of  books  a  work  of  such  extraordinary  aud  unexceptionable  excellence  as 
this  one. — Universalist  Quarterly  Review. 

There  are  an  elevation  and  a  classic  polish  in  these  volumes,  and  a  felicity  of 
grouping  and  of  portraiture,  which  invest  the  subject  with  the  attractions  of  a 
living  and  stirring  episode  in  the  grand  historic  drama.—  Southern  Methodisi 
Quarterly  Review. 

The  author  writes  with  a  genial  glow  and  love  of  his  subject. — Presbyterian 
Quarterly  Review. 

Mr.  Motley  is  a  sturdy  Republican  and  a  hearty  Protestant  His  style  is  live 
ly  and  picturesque,  and  his  work  is  an  honor  and  an  important  accession  to  our 
national  literature. — Church  Review. 

Mr.  Motley's  work  is  an  important  one,  the  result  of  profound  research,  sincerb 
eonvictions,  sound  principles,  and  manly  sentiments;  and  even  those  who  are 
most  familiar  with  the  history  of. the  period  will  find  in  it  a  fresh  and  vivid  ad 
dition  to  their  previous  knowledge.  It  does  honor  to  American  literature,  and 
•would  do  honor  to  the  literature  of  any  country  in  the  world. — Edinburgh  Re 
view. 

A  serious  chasm  in  English  historical  literature  has  been  (by  this  book)  very 
remarkably  filled.  *  *  *  A  history  as  complete  as  industry  and  genius  can  mako 
it  now  lies  before  us,  of  the  first  twenty  yeaVs  of  the  revolt  of  the  United  Prov 
inces.  *  *  *  All  the  essentials  of  a  great  writer  Mr.  Motley  eminently  possesses. 
His  mind  is  broad,  his  industry  unwearied.  In  power  of  dramatic  description 
no  modern  historian,  except,  perhaps,  Mr.  Carlyle,  surpasses  him,  and  in  analy 
sia  of  character  he  is  elaborate  and  distinct. — Westminster  Review. 


3    MOTLEY'S  RISE  OF  THE  DUTCH  REPUBLIC. 

It  is  a  work  of  real  historical  value,  the  result  of  accurate  criticism,  written 
in  a  liberal  spirit,  and  from  first  to  last  deeply  interesting. — Athenceum. 

The  style  is  excellent,  clear,  vivid,  eloquent;  and  the  industry  with  which 
original  sources  have  been  investigated,  and  through  which  new  light  has  been 
ehed  over  perplexed  incidents  and  characters,  entitles  Mr.  Motley  to  a  high  rank 
in  the  literature  of  an  age  peculiarly  rich  in  history. — North  British  Review. 

It  abounds  in  new  information,  and,  as  a  first  work,  commands  a  very  cordial 
recognition,  not  merely  of  the  promise  it  gives,  but  of  the  extent  and  importance 
of  the  labor  actually  performed  on  it. — London  Examiner. 

Mr.  Motley's  "History"  is  a  work  of  which  any  country  might  be  proud. — 
Press  (London). 

Mr.  Motley's  History  will  be  a  standard  book  of  reference  in  historical  litera 
ture. — London  Literary  Gazette. 

Mr.  Motley  has  searched  the  whole  range  of  historical  documents  necessary  to 
the  composition  of  his  work. — London  Leader. 

This  is  really  a  great  work.  It  belongs  to  the  class  of  books  in  which  we 
range  our  Grotes,  Milmans,  Merivales,  and  Macaulays,  as  the  glories  of  English 
literature  in  the  department  of  history.  *  *  *  Mr.  Motley's  gifts  as  a  historical 
writer  are  among  the  highest  and  rarest. — Nonconformist  (London). 

Mr.  Motley's  volumes  will  well  repay  perusal.  *  *  *  For  his  learning,  his  liberal 
tone,  and  his  generous  enthusiasm,  we  heartily  commend  him,  and  bid  him  good 
Bpeed  for  the  remainer  of  his  interesting  and  heroic  narrative. — Saturday  Review. 

The  story  is  a  noble  one,  and  is  worthily  treated.  *  *  »  Mr.  Motley  has  had  the 
patience  to  unravel,  with  unfailing  perseverance,  the  thousand  intricate  plots  of 
the  adversaries  of  the  Prince  of  Orange ;  but  the  details  and  the  literal  extracts 
which  he  has  derived  from  original  documents,  and  transferred  to  his  pages, 
give  a  truthful  color  and  a  picturesque  effect,  which  are  especially  charming. — 
London  Daily  News. 

M.  Lothrop  Motley  dans  son  magnifique  tableau  de  la  formation  de  notre  Re- 
publique. — Gr.  GEOEN  VAN  PKINBTEREE. 

Our  accomplished  countryman,  Mr.  J.  Lothrop  Motley,  who,  during  the  last 
five  years,  for  the  better  prosecution  of  his  labors,  has  established  his  residence 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  scenes  of  his  narrative.  No  one  acquainted  with  the 
fine  powers  of  mind  possessed  by  this  scholar,  and  the  earnestness  with  which  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  the  task,  can  doubt  that  he  will  do  full  justice  to  his  im 
portant  but  difficult  subject— W.  H.  PEESOOTT. 

The  production  of  such  a  work  as  this  astonishes,  while  it  gratifies  the  pride 
of  the  American  reader. — N.  Y.  Observer. 

The  "Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic"  at  once,  and  by  acclamation,  takes  its 
place  by  the  "  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,"  as  a  work  which,  wheth 
er  for  research,  substance,  or  style,  will  never  be  superseded. — N.  Y.  Albion. 

A  work  upon  which  all  who  read  the  English  language  may  congratulate 
themselves. — New  Yorker  Handels  Zcitung. 

Mr.  Motley's  place  is  now  (alluding  to  this  book)  with  Hallam  and  Lord  Ma- 
hon,  Alison  and  Macaulay  in  the  Old  Country,  and  with  Washington  Irving, 
Prescott,  and  Bancroft  in  this.—  N.  Y.  Times. 

THE  authority,  in  the  English  tongue,  for  the  history  of  the  period  and  people 
to  which  it  refers. — N.  Y.  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

This  work  at  once  places  the  author  on  the  list  of  American  historians  which 
has  been  so  signally  illustrated  by  the  names  of  Irving,  Prescott,  Bancroft,  and 
Hildreth.— Boston  Times. 

The  work  is  a  noble  one,  Mid  a  most  desirable  acquisition  to  our  historical  lit 
erature. — Mobile  Advertiser. 

Such  a  work  is  an  honor  to  its  author,  to  his  country,  and  to  tho  age  in  which 
it  was  written.— Ohio  Farmer. 

Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

Franklin  Square,  New  York. 


HABVEK  &  RROTHERS  will  send  thr  above  Work  by  Mail  (postage  paid  (for  any 
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Sir.  Motley  j  the  American  historian  of  the  United  Netherlands — we  owe  him 
English  homage.—  LONDON  TIMES. 

44  As  interesting  as  a  romance,  and  as  reliable  as  a  proposition  of  Euclid." 


History  of 
The  United  Netherlands. 

FROM    THE   DEATH  OF  WILLIAM   THE    SILENT  TO  THE    STOOD  OF   DORT.       WITH   A 

FULL  VIEW  OF  THE    ENGLISH-BUTCH    STRUGGLE  AGAINST   SPAIN,   AND 

OF  THE  ORIGIN   AND  DESTRUCTION   OF   TUB  SPANISH 

ARMADA. 

BY  JOHN  LOTHROP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L., 

Corresponding  Member  of  the  Institute  of  France,  Author  of  "The  Rise  of  the 
Dutch  Republic." 

With  Portraits  and  Map. 

2  rols.  8vo,  Muslin,  $6  00. 

Critical  Notices. 

His  living  and  truthful  picture  of  events. — Quarterly  Review  (London),  Jan , 
1S61. 

Fertile  as  the  present  age  has  been  in  historical  works  of  the  highest  merit, 
none  of  them  can  be  ranked  above  these  volumes  in  the  grand  qualities  of  interest, 
accuracy,  and  truth. — Edinburgh  Quarterly  Review,  Jan.,  1861. 

This  noble  work. — Westminster  Review  (London). 

One  of  the  most  fascinating  as  well  as  important  histories  of  the  century Cor 

N.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

The  careful  study  of  these  volumes  will  infallibly  afford  a  feast  both  rich  and 
rare Baltimore  Republican. 

Already  takes  a  rank  among  standard  works  of  history — London  Critic. 

Mr.  Motley's  prose  epic. — London  Spectator. 

Its  pages  are  pregnant  with  instruction.— London  Literary  Gazette. 

We  may  profit  by  almost  every  page  of  his  narrative.  All  the  topics  which  agi 
tate  us  now  are  more  or  less  vividly  presented  in  the  History  of  the  United  Nether 
lands New  York  Times. 

Bears  on  every  page  marks  of  the  same  vigorous  mind  that  produced  "The  Rise 
of  the  Dutch  Republic;"  but  the  new  work  in  riper,  mellower,  and  though  equally 
racy  of  the  soil,  softer  flavored.  The  inspiring  idea  which  breathes  through  Mr. 
Motley's  histories  and  colors  the  whole  texture  of  his  narrative,  is  the  grandeur  of 
that  memorable  struggle  in  the  16th  century  by  which  the  human  mind  broke  the 
thraldom  of  religious  intolerance  and  achieved  its  independence — The  World,  N.  Y. 

The  name  of  Motley  now  stands  in  the  veiy  front  rank  of  living  historians.  His 
Dutch  Republic  took  the  world  by  surprise ;  but  the  favorable  verdict  then  given 
is  now  only  the  more  deliberately  confirmed  on  the  publication  of  the  continued 
story  under  the  title  of  the  History  of  the  United  Netherlands.  All  the  nerve, 
and  power,  and  substance  of  juicy  life  are  there,  lending  a  charm  to  every  page.— 
Church  Journal,  N.  Y. 

Motley,  indeed,  has  produced  a  prose  epic,  and  his  fighting  scenes  are  as  real, 
spirited,  and  life-like  as  the  combats  in  the  Iliad — The  Press  (Phila.). 

His  history  is  as  interesting  as  a  romance,  and  as  reliable  as  a  proposition  of  Eu 
clid.  Clio  never  had  a  more  faithful  disciple.  We  advise  every  reader  whoso 
means  will  permit  to  become  the  owner  of  these  fascinating  volumes,  assuring  him 
that  he  will  never  regret  the  investment Christian  Intelligencer,  N.  Y. 

Published  lyy  HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

Franklin  Square,  New  York. 

C^~  HARPER  &  BROTHERS  will  send  the  above  Work  by  Mail,  postage  pre-paid 
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WIVES  AND  DAUGHTERS.     With  Illustrations.     8vo, 
Cloth,  $2  oo;  Paper,  $ i    50. 


From  the  London  Examiner. 

That  tender  pathos,  which  could  sink  so  deep— that  gentle  humor,  which  could 
soar  so  lightly — that  delicate  perception,  which  nothing  could  escape — that  wide 
sympathy,  which  ranged  so  far— those  sweet  moralities,  which  rang  so  true:  it 
ia  indeed  hard  and  sad  to  feel  that  these  must  be  silent  for  us  henceforth  forever. 

Let  us  be  grateful,  however,  that  we  have  still  those  writings  of  hers  which 
England  will  not  willingly  let  die,  and  that  she  has  given  us  no  less  an  example 
of  conscientious  work  and  careful  pains,  by  which  we  all  alike  may  profit.  For 
Mrs.  Gaskell  had  not  only  genius  of  a  high  order,  but  she  had  also  the  true  feel 
ing  of  the  artist,  that  grows  impatient  at  whatever  is  unfinished  or  imperfect. 
Whether  describing  with  touching  skill  the  charities  of  poor  to  poor,  or  painting, 
with  an  art  which  Miss  Austin  might  have  envied,  the  daily  round  of  common 
life,  or  merely  telling,  iu  her  graphic  way,  eome  wild  or  simple  tale :  whatever 
the  work,  she  did  it  with  all  her  power,  sparing  nothing,  scarcely  sparing  her 
self  enough,  if  only  the  work  were  well  and  completely  done. 

From  the  New  York  Evening  Post. 

It  ia  said  that  George  Sand  remarked  to  an  English  friend :  "  Mrs.  Gaskell 
has  done  what  neither  I  nor  other  female  writers  in  France  can  accomplish — she 
lia^  written  novels  which  excite  the  deepest  interest  in  men  of  the  world,  and 
which  every  girl  will  be  the  better  for  reading." 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER   &   BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


Sent  by  Nail  to  any  part  of  the  United  States,  postage  free,  on  receipt  of  the 
Price. 


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